The Shadows of Sonic
by Sonic Remix
Summary: COMPLETE The sequal to The Sonic Adventurers. Sonic and gang must travel back in time to deal with a new threat: Shadow.
1. Prelude

Sonic Underground Prolouge Special  
  
"The Prelude"  
  
by Shayne Thames  
  
Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters © and ™ SEGA  
  
Shalita Ranay and related characters © Star Dreams Entertainment  
  
Dr. Robotnik stood before the abandoned lab, full of ambition.   
  
This was his grandfather's lab, a man called Gerald Robotnik. Dr.   
  
Robotnik had always looked up to his grandfather, until the day that   
  
he dissappeared, along with his aunt Sara. But this was before Robotnik   
  
infiltrated with the Mobians. Now he was about to discover what   
  
happened to Profesor Gerald.  
  
Walking into the dusty building, Robotnik could see the place was   
  
generally left in tact, machines abandoned, and material strewn about   
  
the place.  
  
Robotnik came across an old book, laying next to an old machine.   
  
Curious, Robotnik opened the book.  
  
"June 23rd, 3201. This is my final entry. If this book is   
  
discovered, it means that I have sucessfully crossed time about 1200   
  
years into our world's past, to when a scientist genius was really   
  
needed. Accompanying me was my daughter, Sara. Together we will escape   
  
the Great War and start a new life. My older son, David, did not believe   
  
we would make such a trip, so he stayed to raise his sons, Colin and   
  
Julian, on this accurssed planet. I only hope that our life in the   
  
past will be a great one. -Professor Gerald Robotnik."  
  
"So.." Robotnik said. "He time-traveled....and this must be the   
  
machine...but how to activate it?"  
  
Robotnik took a look at the machine, pressing a few buttons.   
  
Suddenly a green energy poured into the center of the machine.  
  
"Oh HO! This is all too perfect!" Robotnik laughed. "Now I can   
  
see what achivements my grandfather has acomplished!"  
  
One month later, the disturbed machine once again came to life,   
  
and a white bat and an orange fox appeared.  
  
"This is it, Rouge. This what used to by my home," the orange   
  
fox.  
  
"So, this is the future, huh? A bit dustier then what I   
  
expected," the bat, Rouge, said.  
  
"Cut the joking, Rouge. You're on your own from here. The big gem   
  
you want is on a floating island. About this time of the year, it should   
  
be orbiting over the nearby mountain range," the fox said.  
  
"And what about you, Sabre. What are you up to?" Rouge asked.  
  
"I'm here to pay an old friend a visit," Sabre said.  
  
"How do you know he's still alive?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Because my boss told me so," Sabre said, cracking her knuckles.  
  
Outside, a figure watched as the two left.  
  
"One month. He's been gone an entire month. What is he UP to?!"   
  
Sonic complained, leaning back in his chair.  
  
Sonic the Hedgehog, along with Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonia   
  
Hedgehog, Manic Hedgehog, Cyrus and Trevor were in a meeting.  
  
"No clue. It's like he packed up, left town, and left the robots   
  
AND Sleet and Dingo in charge," Trevor said.  
  
"Sleet and Dingo? That's not like Eggman to leave THOSE two in   
  
charge," Manic said.  
  
"That's because he didn't," Cyrus said. "Metal Sonic is."  
  
"Metal Sonic. You mean that robot that Eggman designed after   
  
me?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Yeah. Apparently, Eggman knows you been beaten by Metal Sonic   
  
the one time you encountered him," Sonia said.  
  
"Don't rub it in, sis," Sonic sighed.  
  
"Sonic, don't worry. We're gonna find Robotnik," Cyrus said.  
  
"I'm just afraid that by the time he rears his ugly head, it's   
  
gonna be too late," Manic said.  
  
Sonic sighed. "Alright. This meeting is dismissed. Keep me   
  
informed."  
  
As the others started to leave the room, Sonia walked over to   
  
Sonic.  
  
"I see you're finally starting to grow up and acting like a real   
  
leader, Sonic," Sonia said.  
  
"At this point, Sonia, I have an eternity to mature. Might as well   
  
start now, cause it's gonna TAKE me a few hundred years to learn it,"   
  
Sonic joked. Somewhat true, a special gift he was born with gives him   
  
immortality.  
  
As Manic walked out, a lone figure waited outside for him.  
  
"I was told to find you here, although I have no idea why freedom   
  
fighters would be assocating with a lowly thief like you," the woman said.  
  
"You can be suprised what you know about someone," Manic said   
  
supiciously. "Do I know you?"  
  
"Why Manic, you mean you forgot your childhood crush?" Sabre said.  
  
"Sabre?!" Manic breathed. "I thought you dissappeared forever!"  
  
"You can be suprised what you know about someone," Sabre quoted,   
  
then hugged Manic. "I missed you."  
  
"Where have you been?" Manic asked, hugging her back.  
  
"Away...but I'm back....but Manic..." Sabre started.  
  
"Yes?" Mnaic asked.  
  
"There's something I want to give you..." Sabre said, pulling out   
  
a lovely blue rose.  
  
"Sabre....these are RARE! Oh gosh, I dunno what to say!" Manic   
  
said taking the rose.  
  
Without warning, Manic suddenly groaned and collasped, holding his   
  
head.  
  
"Say you're on our side, Manic," Sabre whispered, helping him up.  
  
"Wha..." Manic mumbled, looking into her eyes.... "Yes....I am..."  
  
"Good," Sabre said, putting the mecanical blue rose into his   
  
spines. The rose petals wilted away, revealing a mecanical device   
  
embedding itself into the back of his neck.  
  
Rouge looked around the shrine, staring at the Master Emerald.  
  
"So THIS is the Master Emerald Sabre was talking about. She was   
  
right, this is quite a payload. I see payday ahead for me!"  
  
Rouge's communicator started beeping. "Yes?"  
  
"Rouge, this is Sabre. I got what a came for. Hurry up and grab   
  
the emerald. We're coming to pick you up."  
  
"Right, Sabre," Rouge said. As she approached the emerald, she   
  
found a newspaper laying on the step of the alter.  
  
"What's this?" Rouge asked, looking at the newspaper. "Chaos   
  
Emerald...hmmm...I'll save THIS for later!"  
  
As Rouge proceeded to pick up the emerald, a figure approached her.  
  
"Hold it right there!" Knuckles the Echidna called.  
  
Rouge whirled around. "Well, I figured you'd show sometime or   
  
later. You must be the famous treasure hunter I heard ALL about," Rouge   
  
said.  
  
"Cut the pleasantries, lady. Just where do you think you're going   
  
with my emerald?" Knux growled.  
  
"Ah haha! You are mistaken. For you see, this emerald, is now MY   
  
emerald," Rouge said.  
  
"Yeah RIGHT! Who says?" Knux asked.  
  
Two guns clicked, pointing to either side of his head.  
  
"We do, Guardian. And if you're smart, I'd suggest you surrender   
  
the emerald," Manic said.  
  
"Manic? What in the world-" Knux started, before Manic pressed the   
  
barrel against Knux's head.  
  
"Thank you. We'll take our leave now. So long, treasure hunter!"   
  
Rouge said, taking the emerald, leaping up high, and flew off.  
  
"See you around, Knucklebrain!" Manic said, grabing on to Sabre as   
  
she activated her jet boots.  
  
"What do you think of the new modifications, Sonic?" Tails asked,   
  
showing off his mecanical walker, which was really his plane, the Tonado 2.  
  
"Yeah, great, Tails," Sonic said half-heartedly, pacing. Manic had   
  
dissappeared and no one could find him.  
  
"Sonic, calm down, will you. I'm sure he'll call if he had gone   
  
out," Sonia said.  
  
As if on cue, the V-Phone started beeping. Sonic dashed to the   
  
screen and pressed a button.  
  
"Manic! It's about time! Where are-"  
  
Sonic stopped, seeing it was Knuckles.  
  
"Knux! Sorry man, I thought you were Manic," Sonic said.  
  
"Hey SONIC, what in the world are you guys THINKING?! Manic was   
  
just up here-"  
  
"WHOA. Wait a moment. Manic was on the island?" Sonic asked.  
  
The question caught Knux by suprised. "You mean you don't know?"  
  
"Know what?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Manic was just up here with two female creeps, STEALING the   
  
Master Emerald!"  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Sonic, Tails and Sonia screeched.  
  
"Yeah. Any idea what's going on?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"I do," a voice said. The three turned around, facing a white   
  
hedgehog with a blue chao.  
  
"Shalita! Chaima! You're back!" Sonic said, hugging the white   
  
hedgehog.  
  
"Where are they, Shal?" Knux asked.  
  
"An old abandoned lab northeast of the city. They came from   
  
another time," Shalita said.  
  
"Another time?" Sonic asked. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah. I did some catch up on history and reconized one of the   
  
females. Rouge the Bat was a famous treasure hunter back in the year   
  
2085, only 50 years after mobian life began to become intellegent.   
  
Humans still dominated the world then, and the world was known as Earth   
  
back then."  
  
"So, we gotta break into this abandoned lab, and follow them back   
  
to the 21st century, where Overlanders still ruled the world. Yuck!"   
  
Sonic groaned.  
  
"And find out what Manic's problem is," Knux said.  
  
"Knuckles, meet us at the following coodernates," Shalita said,   
  
transmitting the info.  
  
Sonic, Tails in his mechanical walker, Sonia, Shalita, Knux and   
  
Chaima stood in the room.  
  
"Remember the plan. Once we get there, we may have to settle in   
  
a while until we can find these guys. I have a feeling Eggman's also   
  
waiting for us, which would explain his dissapearing act," Shalita said.  
  
"What gives you that idea?" Sonci asked.  
  
"Cause he was snooping around here a month ago," Shalita said.  
  
The six gathered around the machine, activating it and dissappeared.  
  
A hooded figure watched. "And so it begins..." she whispered. 


	2. Part 1

"The Shadows of Sonic, Part 1"  
  
written by Shayne Thames  
  
Sonic and related characters © and ™ SEGA  
  
Shalita and related characters © Star Dreams Entertainment  
  
Prolouge:  
  
3 months ago  
  
San Francisco, United States  
  
The Capital City of Earth  
  
March 8th, 2085  
  
A pink hedgehog and a purple chao appeared in the abandoned lab.  
  
"Wow, what happened, Amy?" the purple chao asked.  
  
"I think we just traveled back in time, Pucha," Amy Rose said.   
  
Amy was the mayor of Station Square and offered to search for Sonic   
  
and the rest of the hedgehogs when they dissappeared a week ago.  
  
Amy wandered outside and was suprised to see HUMANS. A lot of them.   
  
They didn't notice her and her chao as they traveled down the sidewalk   
  
of the city. She spotted a newstand and saw the headlines- "Hedgehog   
  
saves day once again!"  
  
"Sonic IS here....but how to find him and the others...?" Amy   
  
wondered and sighed. This was gonna take a while.  
  
One week ago  
  
Somewhere over Nevada  
  
June 15th, 2085  
  
Knux's radio beeped. "Yeah? Nope, you? I think I'm near Vegas.   
  
The only place on this contenent I haven't checked already is Florida.   
  
I was thinking of heading to Orlando and start there. Right, see ya   
  
sometime, Sonic.."  
  
Knux sighed. 6 months was ridicolus. Manic and the girls HAVE   
  
to be somewhere. He was close though. He could sense the Master Emerald.  
  
Somewhere in the desert  
  
9:46 P.M.  
  
Sabre walked into the control room, bowing before Dr. Robotnik.  
  
"Sir, we have found the location of the top secret military   
  
weapon," she reported.  
  
"Excellent, then I trust that he was able to deciper the map?"   
  
Robotnik asked.  
  
"Yes sir, no doubt," a voice said, entering the room. Manic held   
  
a disk in his hand. "It was tough. Your grandfather was quite the   
  
genius. But to get to the weapon, you'll need to arrive on the island   
  
just offshore. You'll also need user data and the password."  
  
"Excellent. Good job, Manic," Robotnik said.  
  
"You will also need this," Manic said, handing Robotnik his   
  
medallion. "A chaos emerald is needed to activate the weapon."  
  
Manic bowed and left. Robotnik grinned. "Soon enough..."  
  
Yesterday  
  
Desert area  
  
June 21st, 2085  
  
12:05 P.M.  
  
Knuckles wandered back towards San Fransisco when he saw HER and   
  
the Master Emerald with her. He grinned. About time.  
  
Chapter 01: "The Beginning"  
  
Now  
  
Prision Island, Near the Base  
  
June 22nd, 2085  
  
9:02 P.M.  
  
Alarms screams and doors slammed shut. A voice rang out over the   
  
intercom.  
  
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Security door breached at   
  
Gate 3! Intruder has been located in the north quadrant and is moving   
  
in the direction of the underground base. All units prepare to engage.   
  
Assume emergency battle formations. Standard battle proceedures   
  
initiated. Locate and stop intruder before he enters the area! This is   
  
NOT a drill. Repeat! This is NOT a drill!"  
  
Gunshots rang out as Dr. Robotnik fired his Egg Walker machine   
  
gun at the robots.  
  
"Mwahahahahahahaha! That was too easy! Let's see what my grandfather   
  
was working on. A top secret military weapon he created. The military   
  
shut down the research because they feared it!"  
  
As Robotnik entered the area, the voice rang out again.  
  
"Intruder alert! Assume level one defense formation!"  
  
Robotnik shot off in the Egg Walker as robots entered the area.   
  
Robotnik started firing, destroying the robots in his path. He came on a   
  
big door marked "Level 1".  
  
Thinking quickly, he destroyed the four bolts locking down the   
  
door and blashed the door away.  
  
"Level 1 has been breached. Emergency formation. Intercept   
  
intruder," the voice rang out again.  
  
This went one towards level 2, executing the same plan as   
  
before...  
  
"Level 2 security door breach! Level 2 security door breach!"  
  
This is getting a bit monotonis, Robotnik thought as he blaster   
  
another robot. You'd think the military would have more than this.  
  
Robotnik rode a pad down to the lower level and apprached the   
  
security gate.  
  
Again, he broke down the Level 3 door.  
  
"Level 3 security door breach! Intruder has breached sections 3   
  
through 8. Get him!"  
  
FINALLY things started picking up as 4 robots ganged up on him. But   
  
it was still a no brainer as he destroyed them all as he apprached   
  
Level 4.  
  
"Level 4 security door breach!"  
  
Oh will you shut up already? Robotnik thought as he wandered down   
  
the hall, blasting more robots and the security locks on the door.  
  
"Level 5 security door breah! Switch to emergency defense mode!   
  
Lock down security door!"  
  
Oh please. What kind of defense IS this?  
  
A very good one, as the doors slammed shut, locking Robotnik in   
  
the room. Robots flooded the room and Robotnik coulding help but fire   
  
wildly to save himself.  
  
A stray homer smacked into the control pad of a missle, and it   
  
turned around, facing Robotnik. Robotnik ducked as the missle fired,   
  
breaking open the security door.  
  
Robotnik entered the room, all the robots in the area destroyed.  
  
"YES!" he cackled.  
  
As the door in front of him opened, he approached a small   
  
console.  
  
"Oh HO! So this is the military's top-secret weapon. It's a lot   
  
SMALLER than I expected!"  
  
Robotnik was looking at an orb floating over the console as he   
  
tapped into the console.  
  
"Enter user data....aha....enter password..."  
  
Robotnik reached over to the side console.  
  
"Password is MA-RI-A. Maria! Now all I have to do is to place the   
  
chaos emerald into this console..."  
  
Robotnik took Manic's medallion and placed it into the console.   
  
"Oh ho!"  
  
A cryochamber rose from the floor, and a figure rose, standing on   
  
top of the high platform. Robotnik growled, reconizing the figure as it   
  
folded his arms.  
  
"Agh! Is that you, SONIC? Are you trying to spoil my plans again?"  
  
The red eyes of the figure looked down upon Robotnik, and he   
  
realized that this hedgehog that stood before him was NOT Sonic....but he   
  
was so much the splitting image of him, except of the black body.  
  
"Wait...you're not Sonic! This is impossible!"  
  
The black hedgehog spoke up in a calm collected voice.  
  
"My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind as to release me, my   
  
master...I will grant you one wish."  
  
The alarms sounded off again, annoying Robotnik further.   
  
"NOW what?!" he groaned.  
  
Shadow looked up, seeing a figure approaching. A military robot.  
  
"Behold, the true power I posess," he said, activating his air   
  
blades and landing on the floor.  
  
The huge robot landed before Shadow.   
  
"This is Scorpian troop's Hot Shot, "the pilot of the robot   
  
radioed in. "Enemy movement has been detected. En route to intercept and   
  
destroy!"  
  
"Copy that, B3," the operations communcator answered.  
  
Hot Shot leaped into the air, activating it's booster pack, and   
  
started strafing, showering the floor with bullets. Shadow dodged the   
  
barrage as Hot Shot landed, and fired four missles at him. When the   
  
missles were fired, Shadow leaped up and took a dive at the cockpit of   
  
Hot Shot, damaging it.  
  
Hot Shot leaped into the air again and powered up a laser, firing   
  
it at Shadow. A miss. Hot Shot circled back and fired off its bullets   
  
again. Shadow was just too fast on his air blades. Hot Shot landed and   
  
this time fired 6 missles at Shadow. No hit. Shadow attacked the cockpit   
  
again.  
  
That particular attacked continued, hoping to tire out the   
  
hedgehog. No dice as Shadow attacked again.  
  
"This is Scorpian troop's Hot Shot. The enemy is stronger than   
  
expected. Request additional support!" the pilot radioed in, frantic. One   
  
more hit and Hot Shot's done for.  
  
Hot Shot leaped into the air and powered its laser again. Firing   
  
not once, not twice, but three times. It missed, but came pretty darn   
  
close. Hot Shot landed and fired 10 missles at Shadow. Shadow came out,   
  
unscathed, and attacked Hot Shot.  
  
"He is too strong!" the pilot radioed, retreating.  
  
"Hmph! Pathetic humans!" Shadow smirked, folding his arms.  
  
"Destroying that guard robot was spectacular!" Robotnik applauded.   
  
"So Shadow, YOU are the military's top secret weapon! What what did you   
  
mean when you said you would grant me a wish?"  
  
Shadow looked over his shoulder towards Robotnik. "Bring more chaos   
  
emeralds."  
  
"Shadow, WAIT!" Robotnik called. Shadow whirled to face Robotnik.  
  
"I'll be waiting for you....in the central control room, on the   
  
space colony ARK," Shadow said, then walked off.  
  
Robotnik slammed his fist against the side of his Egg Walker.   
  
"ARK?"  
  
But he was getting no more out of Shadow as he walked away,   
  
leaving Robotnik gaping.  
  
As Shadow traveled down the corridor, he heard a fight erupting   
  
in a room, he peaked in, seeing a white hedgehog surrounded by human   
  
guards.  
  
"I tell you, I'm not the intruder! Keep your hands off of me! PUT   
  
DOWN THAT GUN! AAAA!!!!"  
  
Shadow's first thought was to ignore it. It's none of his business w  
  
hether there's one less hedgehog in this world. But hearing the girls   
  
scream....painful memories. No, no matter how much he wanted to fight it,   
  
he sighed. Stupid humans. He ran in like a black blur, knocking the   
  
humans off their feet.  
  
"What in the world?" she gasped as Shadow stood before her.  
  
"Go! Get outta here before I decide to leave you to die," he   
  
growled.  
  
Frightened, she nodded and ran off down the hall. Shadow watched   
  
for a moment. How or what that girl was doing here, he'll never know...  
  
Shalita ran out of the base, gasping. That wasn't Sonic, but   
  
whoever it was saved her, he sure resembled Sonic. She had been following   
  
Eggman into the base when she heard the alarms go off and was caught by   
  
the humans. She heard someone appraching as she hid behind a tree and   
  
saw the black hedgehog took off. Whoever he was, she was going to follow   
  
him...  
  
Chapter 02: "Enter Rouge"  
  
San Fransisco, Sonic and Sonia's home  
  
June 23rd, 2085  
  
3:15 A.M.  
  
Sonia was up for a drink of water. Sonic was in his room sleeping.   
  
Chaima was sleeping in his own little hammock in Sonic's room. Sonia   
  
could never sleep, not with the fact that Manic was still out there   
  
somewhere, acting strange.  
  
As she was heading back to bed, the window in the living room broke   
  
as military operatives stormed the house. Sonia cried out as one held her   
  
at gunpoint.  
  
"Don't move. It's not you we're after," he said.  
  
"HEY! Get your hands off of me!" Sonic yelped as he was thrown   
  
from his bed, and handcuffed. Sonic tried to struggle until he was   
  
tranqed. He felt his limbs grow weak and slack. It didn't knock him out   
  
so much as it numbed his musles. He could only moan in discomfort as a   
  
guard tossed him over his shoulder and carried him off.  
  
"We'll take this," the guard said, snapping off Sonic and Sonia's   
  
medallion. "So you won't try anything."  
  
Sonic threw a helpless look at Sonia as they took him away, leaving   
  
Sonia shaking in shock.  
  
Also being carried away was Chaima, who protested heavily as they   
  
put him in a small cage and walked off with him.  
  
Desert area  
  
11:08 A.M.  
  
Knuckles the Echidna faced off Rouge the Bat. Between them was   
  
the Master Emerald.  
  
"Just....let it go!" Rouge shouted. "You just don't know WHEN to   
  
give UP, do you?!"  
  
Knuckles just couldn't BELIEVE this girl. "What are you talking   
  
about, that emerald's MINE. You got that?"  
  
Knuckles closed his eyes in frustration as he tried to explain.   
  
"The Master Emerald contains special powers, that neutrulize the   
  
energy of the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it VERY powerful...WHAT THE-"  
  
Knuckles stared in shock as he opened his eyes, seeing a claw   
  
grab the Master Emerald.  
  
"Wha-thief!" Rouge cried.  
  
"Look who's calling WHO a thief..." Knuckles mumbled, as he looked   
  
up to the figure in the Egg Moble.  
  
"I came here following the signal from the emerald," Robotnik   
  
said, looking down at Rouge and Knuckles. "If I'm not mistaken, this   
  
is the Master Emerald, is it not?"  
  
"It's you, Dr. Eggman," Knuckles said in suprise.  
  
"So THAT'S Dr. Eggman," Rouge noted.  
  
"Well now that I have it, I'll just take it with me. Farewell,   
  
knucklehead!" Robotnik called, starting to take off.  
  
"Not if I can help it!" Knuckles said, gliding up under the Egg   
  
Moble, shattering the Master Emerald. Pieces flew in random directions.  
  
"What-?!" Eggman gasped, seeing that the Master Emerald was gone.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" Rouge cried, she whirled and grabbed   
  
Knuckles by the collar. "What was THAT all about?! And LOOK what you did   
  
to MY emerald!" she screamed, shaking him silly.  
  
Knuckles regained his wits. "I did that to prevent the Master   
  
Emerald to be stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it.   
  
And by the way, that's not YOUR emerald!"  
  
"Hmm, doesn't matter. I'll look back into it when I get back to   
  
base," Robotnik said, scratching his head, ignoring the two as he flew   
  
off.  
  
Rouge watched the baffled Eggman took off. "I despise ANYONE who   
  
takes jewels from me."  
  
She turned to face Knuckles. "All the world's gems are MINE to   
  
KEEP!"  
  
"Yeah? Well we'll just see about that, bat-girl!" Knuckles   
  
growled.  
  
Wild Canyon, Storm Dance Hall  
  
Knuckles stared at the column of dancing rocks as they floating in   
  
the strong winds. The first shard was close, and he just barely arrived at   
  
that.  
  
"It's close..." he muttered, climbing up one of the pillars. He   
  
looked around, and spotted one of the rocks dancing in the wind had a   
  
hole burned into it. A shard must of shot its way inside the rock...  
  
Dry Lagoon, near a small oasis  
  
Rouge landed, hearing an animal in trouble. Curious, she wandered   
  
over and saw a GIANT turtle being guarded by two military robots.  
  
What would the military want with a turtle? Rouge thought. That's   
  
pretty low! She ran over, and gave a good kick attack to one robot. As   
  
she rocketed into the air from impact, she glided over and drill-dived   
  
into the other bot.  
  
The turtle popped its head out of its shell. "Oh thank you!   
  
Those two robots were pretty scary and wouldn't go away!"  
  
"It's not a problem," Rouge grinned, following the tutle as it   
  
slid across the ground and into the small oasis. "I have a question.   
  
Have you seen any shards of green emerald?"  
  
"Yeah! 3 of them. In fact, there's one behind you!" the turtle   
  
said.  
  
Rouge turned around, spotting the emerald. "Well I'll be. I musta   
  
missed it when I destroyed those two robots!" she said.  
  
Wild Canyon, near a stone head  
  
Above Storm Dance Hall, on a sandy path, Knuckles sensed another   
  
emerald nearby. He looked around and saw a supended platform above him.   
  
As he climbed up the wall and onto the platform, he found one of the   
  
military robots guarding the platform. In its grip was an emerald shard.  
  
"Oh brother," he mumbled. "Stupid robot must of mistaken it for a   
  
chaos emerald."  
  
Knux had learned that the military was VERY uptight about chaos   
  
emeralds and wanted all of them before they fell into the wrong hands.   
  
He knew that if he fought the robot, he was gonna be marked as a   
  
terrorist. Sheesh, this is gonna be something to clear up...  
  
Knuckles had no choice but to fight.  
  
Dry Lagoon  
  
"So where are the other two pieces, friend?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Over in the big oasis. To get there, you'd need to swim through   
  
the tunnel. But the curret is VERY strong. I can get you there quickly   
  
if you ride on my back," the turtle said.  
  
"Alright...thank you," she said, hopping onto the turtle's back.  
  
On the other side, as the turtle rose, Rouge spotted the next   
  
emerald right on shore.  
  
"Thank you!" she called to her friend.  
  
"Good luck to you!" he called back.  
  
Wild Canyon  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Knux sighed, as he clung to a   
  
windmill. The last emerald was right in front of it, and it was no easy   
  
task to get it as it hung high in the air. The windmill made another   
  
pass by it, but Knux missed.  
  
"Geesh, this is harder than I thought!" he grumbled, getting ready   
  
for another pass.  
  
As he came up to it, he made a flying leap, catching it.  
  
"I got it!" he whooped.  
  
Dry Lagoon  
  
"I got it!" Rouge cheered, snatching the last emerld. It wasn't   
  
very far. Just down a sandy path under a stone head. She put the emerald   
  
shards in her backpack and sighed. "I've a long ways to go.."  
  
Suddenly her communicator beeped.  
  
"This is Rouge....yes? On my way.."  
  
Rouge sighed. "Looks like the Master Emerald will have to wait..."  
  
Chapter 03: "City Escape"  
  
A helicoptor above San Fransisco...  
  
Sonic groaned as he felt his strength returning. He was inside a   
  
helicoptor, possibly still in San Fransisco. He had to get outta here and   
  
find out what's going on! He looked down and found a paper clip. Perfect.   
  
This one of the few times where Manic's picklocking lessons come in   
  
handy...  
  
Above the Capital City  
  
1:27 P.M.  
  
A helicoptor flew high over the city as the pilot radioed into   
  
headquarters.  
  
"Sigma-Alpha 2, heading due south over the city. We're en-route,   
  
everything's a-go!"  
  
"This is Control Tower. We have you on radar. Report cargo satus   
  
of captured hedgehog on-board, over!"  
  
"That's a 10-4. Cargo secured and-WHAT?!"  
  
"Didn't copy that-over-"  
  
"The hedgehog is GONE. He's taken out everyone on-board and-"  
  
"What's wrong?!"  
  
"What in the world?!"  
  
Suddenly the helicoptor door blasted out and Sonic burst out,   
  
grabbing a side of the helicoptor. He flip himself on top of the   
  
weapons wing.  
  
"Freeze! What do you think you're DOING?!" the pilot shouted to   
  
Sonic. "Get that hedgehog!"  
  
"Talk about low budget flights! No food or movies? I'm outta here!"   
  
Sonic said, ripping off a panel of helicoptor and strapping it to his   
  
feet. "I like running better!"  
  
Sonic took a flying leap off the helicoptor, sky-diving and finally   
  
rotating like a helicoptor to slow his descent. "YEAH!"  
  
On the ground, a cop was sitting in a parking lot, watching the   
  
peacful city of downtown San Fransisco traffic pass by.  
  
Suddenly out of nowhere, a hedgehog ploped on top of the cop car,   
  
leaping off...and....board down the hill?  
  
"What the-?!" the cop choked. He radioed into headquarters. "This is   
  
Car 27, like to report a blue hedgehog heading due south down Sunset   
  
Blvd! Suspect identified as Sonic the Hedgehog, riding on what looks like   
  
to be a snowboard."  
  
"Copy that. All units in area are to be en-route after suspect."  
  
"That's a 10-4," the cop said, turing on his sirens and speeding   
  
off after the hedgehog.  
  
Cop cars screamed to life as a dispatcher raidoed through.   
  
"Attention all units! Suspect seen heading south! Block all major   
  
roads, and capture the suspect!"  
  
Sonic looked behind him. "They think they can catch me? HAH!"  
  
As Sonic careened down the road, he didn't have a lot of options   
  
but to go straight, as all intersections were blocked.  
  
As Sonic came to the end of the line, he had no choice but to   
  
leap over the fence and into the park, as all the roads were blocked.  
  
"Hah! They can NEVER catch this hedgehog!" Sonic laughed. He ran   
  
out of the park and down one of the side roads, smirking. He leaped   
  
up on top of a building to lose the coppers, then ran down the other   
  
side of the building, leaping off the side and caught a bar. He swung   
  
humself onto a guard-rail, and grinded down it. He leaped off it   
  
and ran down the road. Sonic set it to a cruise, sighing. "Safe..."  
  
Suddenly out of nowhere, a military semi burst through a stack of   
  
wooden crates, careening after the hedgehog.  
  
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Sonic yelped, pouring on the speed as he ran   
  
down the street. "Is that driver CRAZY?!"  
  
Sonic ran ahead, seeing a building with a built in tunnel, made for   
  
small cars...and hedgehogs.  
  
"One chance!" Sonic growled, running through the tunnel.  
  
The semi crashed into the building, and Sonic only prayed that   
  
the people in that building were alright. However, he had FINALLY lost   
  
the military and coppers. and sighed.  
  
Chao Island  
  
"Hey, don't I even get a phone call?!" Chaima protested as a   
  
guard carried the struggling chao to the building ahead.  
  
It was some kind of school/daycare center as Chaima could see   
  
drawings posted all along the wall. The guard took Chaima to a room...  
  
where an older chao was sitting at a desk.  
  
"Yes, can I help you?" the older chao asked.  
  
"Yes, we had arrested this chao's owner early this morning and   
  
would like to keep him here until someone can call adoption for the guy."   
  
the guard said.  
  
"Ahhh....one of THOSE cases," the chao said. "I'll take care of   
  
this from here."  
  
The guard nodded and left. Chaima folded his arms.  
  
"Hello there, son. I'm the principal of Chao Dreams Daycare and   
  
kindergarden. What's you're name?"  
  
"Chaima. What's going on? Why was I taken away from Sonic?" he   
  
asked.  
  
"Your owner was taken away, and any chao without an owner is   
  
brought hetre to be adopted."  
  
"Adopted?! I dun wanna be adopted! I want Sonic!" Chaima cried.  
  
"Calm down son. Here, come on, I'll take you to the classroom.   
  
Why don't you try to make some friends while we straighten this out,   
  
huh?"  
  
Chaima sniffled. "Okay..."  
  
Chapter 04: "Shadow's Past"  
  
San Francisco  
  
Shalita sighed, skating down the street. The military's after her,   
  
thinking she's some spy for Robotnik. She needed a discuse.  
  
"What am I gonna do?" she sighed. "First I lose that black hedgehog,   
  
now I don't even have a discuise...."  
  
Shalita passed a comic book shop, stopped, and back up. In the   
  
window was a comic, about an exteme sports person who saves people   
  
using their talents.  
  
"I wish I could do something like that. The only thing I can do   
  
is roller blade...."  
  
She stopped. "hey...that's it! All I need now is an outfit!"  
  
An hour later found Shalita back on the street, looking like a   
  
SERIOUS skater.  
  
"Look out world, cause here comes Shalita, speed blader of the   
  
stars....no...I need a hero title for me.....now if only I could find   
  
that black hedgehog again..."  
  
She shrieked as an alarm sounded, then sighed. It was the bank   
  
alarm. The Federal Reserve was being robbed.  
  
"Shalita to the rescue!" she shouted, blading towards the bank,   
  
when a black blur speeded past her.  
  
"Never mind..." she noted. "I'll follow that black hedgehog   
  
culprit!"  
  
Later that night  
  
San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge  
  
Shadow stood atop of the supension cord as police screeched at   
  
the bottom, in attempt to chase after him.  
  
"Hmph! How pathetic!" he smirked.  
  
He suddenly closed his eyes, a memory coming back to him.  
  
Alarms screamed as they ran down the hall, panting as they went   
  
from all the running.  
  
"Find them before they escape!" a guard screamed.  
  
The two of them were tiring out. "Whew......whew...."  
  
The next thing Shadow remembered was the gunshot and him   
  
screaming. "MARIA!!!!"  
  
After that, he remembered the tube dropping over him, enclosing   
  
him in the space capsule. "What-?"  
  
He looked over, seeing the human girl clutching at her chest   
  
where she was shot, slumping over the control console. "Shadow..." she   
  
panted. "I beg of you....please....do it for me-"  
  
"Maria!" Shadow screamed again.  
  
"For all the people...on that planet....Sayranora....Shadow...  
  
the Hedgehog..."  
  
The memory ended there.  
  
"Maria, I still remember what I promised you...for all the people   
  
on this planet...I promise you....REVENGE!" he growled, then ran off.  
  
Shalita peeked from the shadows of the bridge. "Man, this guy   
  
has REAL issues....lesse Ranay....should I or shouldn't I kick his butt?   
  
Yes? No? Save him or not? Oh geez...."  
  
Shal sighed. "I have the strangest concience..."  
  
She bladed after Shadow.  
  
Shadow bladed down the highway. The bridge was pretty long, and a   
  
wrong move could send him over the edge. The weird part was that half   
  
the guards after him were hesitant in firing, though he couldn't   
  
understand why.  
  
I knew they'd be suprised...but these guys are shocked...Shadow   
  
thought. He leaped off a dead end where construction of the bridge was   
  
still going on and grinded down the suspention rope. He had the vague   
  
feeling he was being trailed so he took a few daring leaps from bridge   
  
section to another to lose whoever was on his tail. But it was enough   
  
of a distraction for the military planes to find him as he ran down the   
  
bridge. The planes started bombing the supension bridge.  
  
Faster, Hedgehog! You're losing your touch! Shadow beared as he   
  
poured on speed only matched by one other person.  
  
He reached the end of the bridge.  
  
Home free! he thought as he bladed off the bridge.  
  
Out of nowhere, he was suddenly jumped by military robots.  
  
"No!!!" he cried, as he was grounded, slamming hard into the   
  
pavement. "I...won't...LOSE!!!!!"  
  
"KYAAAAA!!!!!" Shalita shrieked, roundhousing a robot, and   
  
shooting another with her gun.  
  
Shadow was able to get up and spindash the other two robots apart.   
  
He turned to Shalita.  
  
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" he asked, bewildered that   
  
someone just saved him.  
  
"Deciding whether or not if I regret saving your butt, but HEY,   
  
I'm ONLY returning the favor," Shalita said.  
  
"You-?! You're that girl from the base! Are you following me?"  
  
"So what if I am? Maybe I just wanna say 'thanks' for you helping   
  
me out," Shal said.  
  
"You were just lucky," he grumbled. "I'm not suddenly your hero or   
  
something."  
  
"And I'm not expecting you to be. I can take care of myself,"   
  
Shalita said.  
  
"Like you did back at the base?" Shadow snapped. "Look, follow me   
  
AGAIN, and I will personally kill you, or let you die, whichever comes   
  
first!"  
  
"Look, I at LEAST want a name, THEN I'll leave you alone to play   
  
your little roll as bad boy," Shalita said, folding her arms.  
  
"If you're SO persistant as to follow me all the way out here   
  
for THAT, it's Shadow. There. Okay, we're even, runt, so GET LOST!"   
  
Shadow growled.  
  
"I know, you've done enough," Shalita said, skating off just like   
  
that. Shadow watched her leave. He wasn't expecting that. He shook his   
  
head and ran off before more military guards found him.  
  
Chapter 5: "Big Foot"  
  
Downtown San Francisco  
  
Sonic had been running from the police all day. The only thing he   
  
had to protect him was his own natural abilities. His medallion, made of   
  
chaos emerald, was taken away, so he couldn't use the energy. As he   
  
stood in an empty intersection, he sighed.  
  
"This game of tag is BORING. I'm outta here!" he said. He turned   
  
around and saw a giant robot standing in front of him.  
  
"Hmm, finally decided to show up, eh? Bring it on!" Sonic called.  
  
The pilot of the robot radioed into headquarters. "Spider troop's   
  
Big Foot, reporting to headquarters! Intruder has been located."  
  
"Copy that," the dispatcher replied.  
  
Sonic watched as Big Foot leaped into the air, and started strafing,   
  
showering the concrete with a barrage of bullets. Similar to the battle   
  
fought on Prision Island with Shadow, Sonic dodged the bullets. Big Foot   
  
landed and fired four missles at Sonic, all which were easily dodged.   
  
Sonic leaped up and attacked the cockpit.  
  
Two more times this attack pattern happened, both ending with Sonic   
  
damaging Big Foot further. The pilot radioed in franticly to HQ.  
  
"This is Spider troop's Big Foot! Big Foot to Headquarters! We've   
  
engaged the enemy and request backup!"  
  
Big Foot leaped into the air, and shooting at Sonic furiously   
  
with bullets, landing, and firing the rest of his missles at the   
  
hedgehog. No score as Sonic leaped up and attacked Big Foot.  
  
"WHAT?! For just ONE HEDGEHOG?!" the pilot screamed as Big Foot   
  
collasped.  
  
"Hey guy! Take care!" Sonic laughed, brushing his hands off. He   
  
surveyed the scene, turning back towards Big Foot, deciding whether or   
  
not he should at least pull the pilot out of the robot.  
  
"WHAT?!" Sonic gasped, seeing the figure standing atop the   
  
wreckage. There was a black hedgehog that looked JUST LIKE him!  
  
The black hedgehog held up his prize, not even noticing his   
  
doppleganger approaching him.  
  
"It all starts with this....a jewel containing the ultimate   
  
power..." he murmured.  
  
"That's the...Chaos Emerald!" Sonic gasped.  
  
Shadow looked down seeing the blue hedgehog apprach him. Where   
  
did THIS fool come from?  
  
"NOW I know what's going on!" Sonic called. "The military has   
  
mistaken me for the likes of you!"  
  
Shadow glared down at the hedgehog. Who IS this guy?  
  
"So, where do you think YOU'RE going with THAT emerald?" Sonic   
  
yelled in fury, rushing at Shadow. "SAY SOMETHING, you FAKE HEDGEHOG!"  
  
Shadow lifted the chaos emerald and concentrated. "Chaos....  
  
CONTROL!"  
  
Sonic saw a bright light and Shadow dissappeared.  
  
Time had stopped for Shadow as he ran past the frozen Sonic.   
  
Leaping onto the building, time started again, leaving Sonic to whirl   
  
around and face Shadow.  
  
"Wow...he's fast! Hey...it's not his speed! He must be using the   
  
chaos emerald to warp!"  
  
"My name is Shadow," the black hedgehog called. "I'm the world's   
  
ultimate life-form. There's no time for games.....FAREWELL!"  
  
Shadow used the gem to warp yet again, dissappearing from   
  
Sonic's sight.   
  
"KUU!" Sonic yelped, covering his eyes from the bright light.   
  
"Shadow....what IS he??"  
  
Before Sonic knew what had happened, he was suddenly surrounded by   
  
police, military robots and guards.  
  
"Don't move! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! Keep your hands in the air"   
  
the captian growled.  
  
"WHAT?!" Sonic gasped. "Not again....!"  
  
Chao Island  
  
Chaima was in the mess hall, eating dinner and watching the TV,   
  
when he saw Sonic on TV.  
  
"Hey, turn it up!" Chaima called to someone as they turned up the   
  
TV.  
  
"-just moments ago, Sonic the Hedgehog was arrested for the second   
  
time today, and is being taken to Prision Island under heavy guard.   
  
Earlier today, he had broken into the Federal reserve bank, and stolen   
  
a Chaos Emerald. Sources say they have no idea why the hedgehog had   
  
snapped since last evening, when he was found breaking into Prision   
  
Island's military base..."  
  
"Aw COME ON! Sonic wouldn't do that!!!" Chaima protested. "At   
  
least...not without a good reason..."  
  
"-in other news, police are still on the look out for this   
  
woman-" the newscaster reported, bringing up a piture of a white   
  
hedgehog.  
  
"SHALITA?!" Chaima cried.  
  
"-identified as Shalita Ranay, she was last seen early this   
  
evening assiting Sonic the Hedgehog, destroying two military robots.   
  
If you have any information leading to the arrest of her, please call   
  
our hot line at-"  
  
Chaima sighed. This world is MESSED UP.  
  
Chapter 06: "Hidden Base Again!"  
  
Desert area  
  
8:22 P.M.  
  
Robotnik, in his Egg Walker, stood before the old ruins. This was   
  
once a marvalous city, before World War III erupted in 2012. Robotnik   
  
momentarily thought on how World War III ended in 2016 with the signing   
  
of the World peace document, and the first World Capital was settled   
  
in San Francisco, United States.  
  
The United Nations needed a military force to keep the peace, and   
  
G.U.N. was born.  
  
G.U.N. General military of the United Nations. They were   
  
responsible for the shut-down of the Shadow Project. They're everywhere   
  
now, trying to hunt down Robotnik. But now with the revelation revealed   
  
in Gerald Robotnik's diary...Robotnik laughed.  
  
"Those idiots will never find my hidden base inside this pyraimid.   
  
Let's take care of business here first, THEN get inside."  
  
Robotnik took off, shooting down the military robots. In the   
  
distance, two females were watching the scene.  
  
"Hmm...a time traveller from the future...comes to the past to   
  
unleash a weapon of destruction....I think this man is the key I need   
  
to getting rid of HER..." one said.  
  
"You're treading on thin ice, Kal. This world could be destroyed   
  
before then, and even if it survives, unleashing HER would destroy the   
  
world anyway," the other said.  
  
"If you object to this so much, Aushatara, then why did you   
  
nickname yourself after your favorite weapon?"  
  
"That's none of your business, Kalita. Right now, I got business   
  
to attend to..."  
  
Kalita grumbled as Aushatara left.  
  
15 minutes later found Robotnik inside his base, where Manic and   
  
Sabre were waiting for him.  
  
"So...how did it go...?" Sabre asked.  
  
Robotnik didn't answer as he marched past them, grumbling.  
  
"What's with him?" Sabre whispered to Manic.  
  
"No clue, Sabre."  
  
Robotnik entered the communications room, grumbling to himself.  
  
"With the Chaos Emerald....in the space colony ARK....hmph. I've   
  
got to find out just what's going on up there..."  
  
The console beeped, indicating an incoming news report. Robotnik   
  
tapped the console, turning on the DreamNews station. The console   
  
hummed to life.  
  
"We interrupt this broadcast for an important news flash," the   
  
brittish voice announced on-screen. "There has been a break-in at the   
  
federal reserve bank today. Mysteriously, the only thing that was stolen   
  
was the Chaos Emerald-"  
  
"The chaos emerald?!" Robotnik growled, slamming his fist against   
  
the console.  
  
A video feed showed Shadow standing atop of the bridge as police   
  
gathered around him.  
  
"According to eye-witnesses at the scene, the suspect was   
  
identified as the world renowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog. The suspect   
  
was seen fleeing the scene, destroying the reserve's guard robots in his   
  
path. Stay tuned for more details-"  
  
"Sounds more like the work of Shadow!" Robotnik said, turning off   
  
the the satelitte feed. NOW things were getting interesting.  
  
Chapter 07: "Infiltrate Hidden Base"  
  
Inside the Pryamid  
  
10:18 P.M.  
  
Rouge stood inside the pryamid, calling on her communicator.  
  
"This is Rouge. I've located Eggman's base, and will proceed to   
  
enter it now."  
  
She sighed, putting her communcator away. "I hate to say it....I   
  
guess I'm going to have to find that key first..."  
  
Rouge was somewhere inside the security hall of the pryamid, and   
  
there was this awful flying robot guard flying around, monitoring the   
  
area. Rouge peeked around the corner, checking every place it might be   
  
in. Nothing here in the red room. She proceeded to the green room. She   
  
heard the beetle guard apprach the area and couched in the shadows until   
  
it passed. When she thought it was safe, she peeked around the corner   
  
and ran into the beetle guard. An alarm sounded, and Rouge dived for   
  
cover before she was blasted by hawk bot guards.  
  
"Stupid robots..." she grumbled, brushing herself off. She stopped,   
  
spotting something shiny in the ground.  
  
"Well well well....what's this?" she grinning, scraping away some   
  
of the dirt and grine from the object.  
  
"Very clever, Eggman. Hiding the key in an obvious place."  
  
Entering the room, Rouge gained access to the computer console.  
  
She gasped. "It's a space transporter!" She tapped into the data   
  
base to gather more info. "The destination has been set to....ARK?"  
  
She turned away, thinking for a moment. "What's that space colony   
  
shut down over 50 years ago?"  
  
She turned back to the console to log off. "What's he doing up   
  
there anyway?"  
  
She sighed again. "Doesn't matter. It's my mission to find out   
  
what he's up to!"  
  
San Francisco  
  
Shal sighed as she toss her pack aside, settling into her apartment.   
  
She had been earlier to see her friend Toni just hours ago, after the   
  
last encounter with Shadow. Shalita asked her to do some background info   
  
on this character. Toni said she should have the results by morning. So   
  
as Shalita went to go to bed, she gasped as she walked into her room,   
  
and found military guards with guns pointing to her head.  
  
"Craaaaap!" she whined.  
  
Chapter 08: "Gathering of the Dark"  
  
Inside the space colony ARK  
  
10:41 P.M.  
  
Robotnik sat in his Egg Walker, staring at the door before him.  
  
"So THIS is the space colony ARK. I have to locate the central   
  
control room that Shadow mentioned before he left..."  
  
Robotnik took off down the dark hall, on his way to find the   
  
control room.  
  
An hour later, Eggman found it. And standing there, waiting, was   
  
Shadow.  
  
"I've been waiting for you, doctor," Shadow said, tapping into a   
  
huge control console. "Now, I will show you the glorious achivements of   
  
what the world's leading scientist, Professor Gerald, has created...."  
  
The console started to power up, giving life to the screen. "The   
  
ARK was the first space colony created by mankind. Not many people   
  
know that the ARK contained a top secret reseach facility, where   
  
weapons of mass destruction were being created. This is one of them...."  
  
Shadow gestures to the large machine behind him. "A weapon   
  
capible of destroying an entire planet, Codenamed.....the Eclipes   
  
Cannon."  
  
Robotnik was thoughtful on this. "Destroying an entire planet...  
  
was this my grandfather's legacy?'  
  
"BUT..." Shadow inturpted. "It's been deactived for some time   
  
now..."  
  
Shadow tossed the chaos emerald he had into a console, and the   
  
machine started buzzing to life.  
  
"To reactivate it, large amounts of energy are nessicary..."  
  
"Oooh. So THAT'S why we needed the Chaos Emerald..." Robotnik   
  
said.  
  
"Exactly!" Shadow said. "To reactivate the machine, we need the   
  
seven chaos emeralds. Once you have that, then you have the ultimate   
  
power of destruction to use as you please..."  
  
Shadow looked over his shoulder at Robotnik. "And then...the   
  
world could be YOURS..."  
  
Robotnik laughed. "Mwahahaha! Sounds like a plan! I like the way   
  
you think, Shadow! I will get the chaos emeralds, use the machine to   
  
dominate the world, and build a legacy of my own-"  
  
"Do you REALLY think it'll be THAT easy?" a voice interurpted.   
  
The two looked up and saw a female white bat hanging upside-down on   
  
the ceiling. She leaped down, landing in front of them.  
  
"I've got a GREAT idea. How about making a deal?" she asked.  
  
"A DEAL?" Robotnik asked, suspicious of this new character that's   
  
coming into play. He vaguely remembered seeing her somewhere before...  
  
"When you grabbed that huge emerald, you said something about a   
  
reaction. A reaction that it had with the Master Emerald. Now, if you   
  
could just let me borrow that radar, I may be able to help you! What   
  
do ya think?"  
  
NOW Robotnik remembered where he saw her. She's that female that   
  
was with Knuckles when he grabbed the Master Emerald earlier this   
  
morning. "If I DO.....what's in it for me?"  
  
"I have an idea where the other chaos emeralds may be." she said,   
  
flying into the air, holding up a chaos emerald of her own. "It may not   
  
look like it, but did you know that I am a treasure hunter that   
  
specializes in ALL kinds of jewels...?"  
  
Robotnik thought long and hard on this one. "Very well."  
  
"Okay then, it's a deal? I don't think we've been introduced. I'm   
  
Rouge the Bat, but you can call me Rouge."  
  
Prision Island: Coastline  
  
June 24th, 2085  
  
11:13 A.M.  
  
The three stood in the midst of the island, making sure there   
  
weren't any guards around.  
  
"Having to come back isn't my idea of a VACATION!" Robotnik growled.   
  
"How can you be sure your intellegence reports are correct? Why would   
  
the chaos emeralds be here on the island? Are you absoluely sure???"  
  
"Well..." Rouge said, folding her arms. "Believe what you want to   
  
believe."  
  
"Hmph," Robotnik grunted. "Very well! Very well...let's discuss   
  
how we are going to do this. I will go in first and distract the military   
  
troops, allowing you to sneak in the base without being detected. Then,   
  
Shadow will enter the armory, where he will set the timer on these   
  
dynamite packs. Once that is in place, we will blow up the whole island   
  
and get away before anyone has a chance to know what hit them. Meanwhile,   
  
you have to sneak into the cargo area and grab the chaos emeralds. That's   
  
a challenge for such a worthy treasure hunter such as yourself, eh bat   
  
girl?"  
  
Rouge winked and gave the thumbs up signal. "We only have 30   
  
minutes to pill this mission off, and we only get one try, so DON'T   
  
fail me!"  
  
Chapter 09: "Get Chaos Emeralds"  
  
Robotnik blasted across the base, shooting everything in sight,   
  
causing a big scene. Considering the fight that the military put up the   
  
other night, this should be child's play.  
  
It didn't take very long to destroy the frontal attack that the   
  
military bots were set up for. A lot of them weren't even activated,   
  
the attack was so quick.  
  
"Okay, everyone ready?" Robotnik called. "Shadow, Rouge, on with   
  
the show!"  
  
Shadow didn't take even one step when a pair of arms grabbed him from   
  
behind and started hugging. Shadow's eyes widen, suprised. What in the   
  
world-  
  
"Oh Sonic! I thought I'd never see you again!" a girl squeeled,   
  
hugging him tighter. "I'm so glad you made it!"  
  
The girl, a pink hedgehog, felt tension coming from the hedgehog   
  
she was hugging and slowly inched away. Shadow turned his head to face   
  
the girl.  
  
"You're not Sonic!" the hedgehog yelped. "Who are you?!"  
  
Robotnik turned around, revealing his face to the girl. "I'M   
  
the one who should be asking that!"  
  
"Dr. Eggman! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" the girl screamed, whirling   
  
around and running away.  
  
"ARRRGH! Amy, your timing is impeccible!" Robotnik growled. He   
  
turned to Shadow and Rouge. "Leave this to me, I'll take care of it," he   
  
said, putting on his goggles. "You two, GO!"  
  
Robotnik approached Amy menicingly. "Give up, Amy!"  
  
Shalita protested as she was thrown into a cell. "I WANT MY   
  
LAWYER!!!" she screamed.  
  
She sighed as she plopped onto the floor.  
  
"So they got you too?" a voice from the next cell called.  
  
Shalita's eyes widened, and called. "Sonic?! That you?!"  
  
"Yeah! You okay?!"  
  
"I'm fine....but why are you in here?"  
  
"They mistook me for that stupid fake hedgehog!"  
  
"You mean...Shadow?" Shalita asked.  
  
"You seen him?"  
  
"Seen him, saved him, unfortunitely."  
  
"...care to explain WHY?"  
  
"He saved my butt the other night when I was tailing Eggman.   
  
Military troops thought I was a spy. I saw him last night being chased   
  
by them on the Golden Gate Bridge, and...well....I had to return the   
  
favor."  
  
"Okay, so your even. Now what?"  
  
"Well, I got a friend doing some reseach on this guy's history. I   
  
was gonna get answers today before I was thrown in here."  
  
"The military has SUCH perfect timing," Sonic said sarcasticly.  
  
"Don't I know it," Shalita sighed.  
  
Chapter 10: "Rescuing Sonic"  
  
Prision Island: Nearby Airspace  
  
11:56 A.M.  
  
Miles "Tails" Prower flew over the water, approaching the island   
  
in his blue plane, the Tornado 2.  
  
"There's no mistake about it! This must be the island! It's a   
  
secret military base that is reinforced and super strong! It's called   
  
Prision Island. I found the news about it on Satelitte TV. I still can't   
  
believe that Sonic destroyed the military buildings, OR rob the bank!   
  
Wait for me, okay Sonic? I'm on my way!"  
  
Tails looked ahead and down. "What?!"  
  
Down below, he could see Amy being cornered by Dr. Robotnik on   
  
solid ground. "Hey! Look, it's Amy! And Eggman too! What's Amy DOING   
  
here?!"  
  
Tails' face turned stern. "Doesn't matter! I have to help Amy,   
  
cause she's in danger!"  
  
Tails tapped into the console as he apprached land. "Tornado...  
  
transformation!"  
  
Tails' plane converted from a plane to a machine walker, and landed   
  
on solid ground in front of Amy, putting himself between her and Robotnik.  
  
"Tails!" Amy cried.  
  
"Stand back, Amy!" Tails siad.  
  
Robotnik laughed. "You're just in time! You won't be able to beat   
  
me!"  
  
"Laser Missle, Power up!" Tails cried.  
  
"Powering Laser missle," Robotnik growled. The two fired at each   
  
other. Tails weaved around avoiding the missle. But Robotnik got the   
  
worse of it.  
  
"Argh! NOW you made me mad!" he growled. "Firing Rocket launcher!"  
  
"Rocket Launcher, FIRE!" Tails cried. Tails ducked as Robotnik's   
  
rocket soared passed him and into the open sea.  
  
Tails' rocket hit.  
  
"ARGH! Now I'm going to destroy you all! FIRING Power Laser!"   
  
Robotnik yelled.  
  
"Power laser, FIRE!" Tails cried. The two lasers hit each other.   
  
It was now a struggle of who's laser was more powerful. Slowly, but   
  
surely, Tails was winning, until it backfired on Robotnik.  
  
"Darn! I let my guard down!" Robotnik growled, his main weaspon   
  
destroyed.  
  
"Yeah! I did it!" Tails cried.  
  
Robotnik looked at his watch and growled. "This time I'll let   
  
you go. But the next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!"  
  
Robotnik marched off in his walker, grumbling along the way.  
  
Amy ran up to Tails. "Wow, Tails! You did it! But...what are you   
  
doing here on this island?"  
  
Tails glared down at her. "I'M the one who should be asking THAT   
  
question. Don't you know it's dangerous here?"  
  
Amy could only smile. "I know! But I'm here to save my hero,   
  
Sonic!"  
  
Tails sighed in frustration, throwing up his hands in despair.   
  
"AGAIN?"  
  
"Hurry!" Amy pleaded. "I know Eggman is up to no good again!"  
  
"Okay! You stay here and I'll be right back!" Tails said, marching   
  
off. Amy glared after the fox.  
  
"Don't leave without ME! I wanna help Sonic too!" she cried,   
  
running off after him.  
  
Chapter 11: "Prision Lane"  
  
It was quiet inside the prison as Tails and Amy wandered through   
  
the area.  
  
"This place sure is creepy," Amy noted.  
  
"Yeah. We need a plan," Tails said.  
  
"Been there, got one," Amy said. She smirked.  
  
"As long as it's better than that last haire-brained idea you   
  
pulled back there. Be glad I was nearby to save you!" Tails mumbled.  
  
"Whatever!" Amy said rolling her eyes.  
  
All of the sudden, lights shone down on them.  
  
"Freeze! You're under arrest!" a guard shouted.  
  
"How'd they find us?!" Amy yelped.  
  
Tails pointed up. "THAT'S HOW!"  
  
Amy looked and saw the security camera. She growled. "THAT'S IT!   
  
No more Ms. Nice Rose!"  
  
Amy pulled out a long stick that had a button on it. She pressed   
  
it and the tip converted into a hammer head.  
  
"Amy, DON'T!" Tails cried.  
  
Too late. Amy wacked the nearest bot to her and crushed it.  
  
"Great, so much for reasoning. Now we're marked as terrorists,"   
  
Tails groaned. He targeted the security camera and fired, destoying it.   
  
"Amy! I'll keep the guards busy! You find Sonic, and meet me on the   
  
other side of the island!"  
  
"Right!" Amy said, she looked down at a guard she wacked, and   
  
found a security card. "Perfect!" she grinned.  
  
Amy creeped down the halls, hiding in the shadows as more guards   
  
ran past. She carefully climbed into the vent, and crawed down the path.  
  
"If this what running missions in Robotropolis is about, then   
  
sign me up for the Freedom Fighters!" she giggled.  
  
Sonic paced back and forth in the jail cell, stretching, and   
  
keeping energetic.  
  
He whirled, hearing a clanging and Amy Rose popping out of the   
  
vent. "Huh? Amy?"  
  
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Have no fear!" she smiled, doing a   
  
whirl, pulling out the security card she stole. "Amy Rose is here!"  
  
"How'd you get here?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Well, if you gotta know, I caught a ride with Tails!" she   
  
grinned. She folded her arms, waving the security card in front of him.   
  
"Are you SURE you don't need my help? It looks like you could USE it..."  
  
Sonic did some lunges, stretching his legs and arms. "The reason   
  
I'm IN here is because of that FAKE hedgehog!"  
  
"You mean...that black hedgehog?" Amy asked.  
  
Sonic ran to the bars. "Did you see it?! Where is it now?"  
  
Amy grinned. "If I tell ya, will you marry me?"  
  
"NO WAY!" Sonic growled, folding his arms.  
  
"I thought I had you this time!" Amy snapped, and slid the security   
  
card through the scanner, opening the cell. "That black hedgehog came   
  
here with Dr. Eggman!"  
  
"So Eggman's behind this, huh?" Sonic asked, walking out and   
  
away from the cell.  
  
Amy peeked into the cell and saw all sorts of calculations and   
  
formulas written on the wall  
  
"What's with all the writing on the wall anyway? Did you write   
  
that?" Amy asked, looking around. Sonic was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Wait for me, Sonic!" Amy called. She growled, folding her arms,   
  
running after him. "He's such a BRAT sometimes!"  
  
Sonic took the card Amy had and slid open Shalita's jail cell   
  
door. Sonic approached the sleeping hedgehog laying on the bed. He ran a   
  
hand through her hair, waking her.  
  
"Hey Shal," he smiled softly. "Ready to get outta here?"  
  
"Hmm? Yeah..." she smiled as Sonic scooped her up.  
  
"Let's book it!"  
  
Outside, Sonic, Shalita, and Amy stood.  
  
"Where to from here?" Sonic asked.  
  
"We'll have to cut across Metal Harbor. Tails is gonna meet us on   
  
the other side of the island," Amy said.  
  
Shalita turned her head, and spied a black figure entering the   
  
base. "You two go on. I have something I need to take care of,"   
  
Shalita said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Sonic asked. "Okay...get back to San Francisco   
  
safely, Shal."  
  
"I will," Shalita said, and bladed off.  
  
Chapter 12: "Security Hall"  
  
Rouge wandered into the safe block area, looking around. This   
  
ought to be easy.  
  
"I'm in position, Doctor. Tell me when," Shadow radioed in.  
  
"There's been an unexpected delay on my end. There's no more   
  
time to waste. Set the timer for 15 minutes! Let's GO, Rouge!" Robotnik   
  
radioed.  
  
"5 minutes should be PLENTY. Here I go!" she grinned, taking   
  
off.  
  
"Rouge, find the chaos emeralds before the military finds you!"   
  
Robotnik warned.  
  
Rouge sighed as she ran alongside the wall of safes. The first   
  
one should be around here somewhere....  
  
A minute passed.  
  
"Rouge! Hurry up! The island is set to explode!" Robotnik yelled   
  
over the radio.  
  
Rouge growled as she struggled to open a safe where her radar is   
  
showing that a chaos emerald is. It clicked open and she grabbed the   
  
emerald.  
  
"Found the first one!" she called. "Only two more!"  
  
She climbed the wall upstairs and discovered a secret room. The   
  
first room was locked.  
  
The second minute passed.  
  
"What are you doing? Get GOING! Bring me the chaos emeralds NOW!"   
  
Robotnik growled.  
  
"Hold on, I think I found something," Rouge said, unlocking the   
  
door. She investigated the room and found a blue medallion. "It looks   
  
like....a chaos emerald in the shape of an instrument!"  
  
Pause.  
  
"Take it. It's still a chaos emerald!" Robotnik radioed.  
  
Rouge decided to investigate the last room.  
  
3 minutes passed.  
  
"What in the world are you DOING? You took LONGER than you were   
  
supposed to!" Robotnik screamed.  
  
"Hang on! I think I found it!" Rouge said pulling out the last   
  
emerald, a pink medallion.  
  
2 minutes to spare, and things only got worse. Alarms sounded   
  
and a military guard bot found her before she could get out.  
  
"I can't believe I've come THIS far, just to fail!" she griped.  
  
"This is Flying Dog to Headquarters," the pilot radioed in.   
  
"Intruder found entering Security Hall. Preparing to attack!"  
  
"Copy that," the dispatcher radioed.  
  
Unlike Shadow or Sonic, who merely played their fights by ear,   
  
Rouge KNEW the attack pattens of these guard bot series.  
  
As the bot leaped into the air and started strifing her, she   
  
leaped onto a wall and clung there as the bot passed. She glided across   
  
the floor as the bot landed, shooting missles at her. She flew toward   
  
the robot, and drill dived into the bot.  
  
Angry, the pilot powered up its laser and started blasting at   
  
her, but missed. He strifed her again, and fired another round of   
  
missles. No dice as Rouge drill dived the bot again.  
  
Two more times this happened, and the pilot was becoming impatient   
  
with his no-hit fires. He was NOT going to fail like Hot Shot and Big   
  
Foot.  
  
"This is Flying Dog to Headquarters. We're taking heavy damage.   
  
Close the Security Hall!" he called. If Flying Dog went down, at least   
  
this bat thief won't get away. He powered up the laser and started   
  
shooting at her like no tommorrow.  
  
Man, Flying Dog is REALLY pulling out all the stops now, Rouge   
  
thought. She sighed. Better get this over with now.  
  
She pulled one last drill dive on him, and Flying Dog stopped,   
  
taking too much damage.  
  
"This can't be possible! The Flying Dog CAN'T be destroyed!" the   
  
pilot yelped, ejecting from the mecha suit.  
  
"Not bad, huh? I'm pretty strong alright!" Rouge yelled.  
  
Shadow was trekking across the island to the rendevous point   
  
when Rouge radioed in.  
  
"This is Rouge. I got a small problem...I can't believe I'm   
  
trapped in this locked safe with the chaos emeralds! I guess I'm not   
  
able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore..."  
  
Shadow's watch beeped. 10 minutes left. He was about to forget   
  
all this and leave, but painful memories of Maria, slumped over the   
  
console, started disturbing him. His thoughts went to Rouge. She was   
  
about to die, along with the island. He growled, tightening his fist.  
  
"Sheesh! Troublemaker!" he growled, taking off back towards   
  
the base.  
  
Chapter 13: "White Jungle"  
  
Shadow air-bladed down the jungle path, finding smooth places to   
  
speed up, like in the fallen open trunks of trees. Rouge....where did   
  
she come from? What's her motive? Surely there's more to her than   
  
what it seemed.  
  
As Shadow grinded against the edge of a trunk, he was suddenly   
  
suprised when guard bots jumped him.  
  
"No way you can catch THIS hedgehog!" he half-smirked,   
  
somersaulting over the bots. "Where did THESE guys come from?"  
  
A stray laser bolt drew his attention to the trunk paralelle to   
  
him. In the distance, grinding on the trunk while being chased by bots   
  
was that girl again!  
  
"What's SHE doing here?!" he growled. He looked again. The stern   
  
look on her face as the bots chased her...it was something he had never   
  
seen before. Someone with the potential of being shot dead in mere   
  
moments should be running franticly. If she was truely running for   
  
her life, wouldn't she be screaming for help?  
  
The answer came soon enough. Her tree trunk ended and she grabbed   
  
a vine, swung around, and kicked one robot into the other, then   
  
somersalting in the air and landing on the next trunk.  
  
Shadow leaped into the air to land on his next trunk. This girl   
  
is really odd, he thought. Maybe she really CAN take care of herself.   
  
But if that's so....why is she following me? What purpose could she   
  
POSSIBLY have to go after me?  
  
Time was running out, but as fast as he was, he had no choice   
  
but to at least warn her about the island.  
  
"Hey! RUNT!" he called.  
  
Shalita's attention was drawn to Shadow. "Shadow! What are you   
  
doing here?!"  
  
"I could ask you the same question, Lady!" Shadow shouted back.  
  
"Escaping from prision, if you have to know!"  
  
Escaping from prision? Why the heck was she BROUGHT here?! Those   
  
military fools did it AGAIN!  
  
"Get outta here! The island is gonna blow up, and I ain't picking   
  
up pieces of YOUR carcass!"  
  
The two landed on a safe spot.  
  
"Island's gonna blow up? Great...well, it's not like I really   
  
LIKE these guys right now..." Shalita said.  
  
"Better hurry. You got 8 minutes left."  
  
"Um...thanks...."  
  
Shalita kinda looked at Shadow for a moment again and turned   
  
to skate off.  
  
"Wait..." Shadow called.  
  
"What?"  
  
"....." Shadow growled. "If we're going to keep running into   
  
each other like this, at least give me YOUR name."  
  
"....why?" Shalita asked.  
  
"So I know what to put on your tombstone."  
  
Shalita sighed. This guy was hopeless. "Shalita Ranay."  
  
As Shalita skated off, Shadow stood there.  
  
Slowly, he started biting his lip. "See ya again...Shalita..."  
  
Chapter 14: "Escape from Prision Island"  
  
Meanwhile, in Metal Harbor, Sonic was riding the side of a   
  
missle. A glitch in the military system set it off, it's destination   
  
to explode in space. Sonic saw it as his ticket off the mase and onto   
  
the main part of the island. Sonic looked down saw where he needed to   
  
land. Too high up! He leaped off, panic-driven, falling fast. He was   
  
gonna be killed if he didn't do something FAST. All options out, there   
  
was only one thing left. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard.  
  
"Ancient spirits of the past, I plead you to hear my call. Grant   
  
me my wings of angel's light, to halt my death-bound fall!" he whispered.   
  
A green glow emitted from his body, and feathered wings burst from his   
  
back. Sonic had called on a power that only he himself can produce. It   
  
is this same power that granted Sonic eternal youth and life. He gently   
  
leveled to the ground, and his wings retracted. He had promised himself   
  
not to use his power unless it was a true emergency. Along with the   
  
power came an extreme condition that if he used the power too long, he   
  
would burn himself out, and he could suffer anything extreme from a   
  
seizure, to a heart attack, or even fall into a coma and die.  
  
Yes, the power was both a blessing and a curse, and Sonic had to   
  
be responsible for it.  
  
He looked around and sighed. "Whew! So far, so good...."  
  
As he said so, a shape of color out of place in the green scenery   
  
of the forest caught his eye. "Hey, thats-"  
  
"That blue hedgehog again, of ALL places!" Shadow cursed.  
  
"I found you, Faker!" Sonic called.  
  
"FAKER? I think YOU'RE the fake hedgehog around here! YOU'RE   
  
comparing yourself to ME? Hah! You're not even good enough to BE my   
  
fake!" Shadow called.  
  
Sonic growled. Deeply. NO ONE calls HIM a liar.  
  
"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!!!!" he yelled as Shadow leaped   
  
from the tree branch.  
  
"There's no time to play games! You won't even get the chance!"   
  
Shadow taunted.  
  
Sonic leaped up and tried a spin-dash. Shadow anticipated that   
  
move and did a spin dash of his own to block Sonic.  
  
This wasn't good, Sonic thought.  
  
"Time to speed up!" they announced at the same time, leaping   
  
into the air, trying to spindash again. This time, Sonic was able to   
  
strike just a bit harder than Shadow.  
  
"UGH!" Shadow groaned, leaping to his feet. Sonic was shocked,  
  
seeing Shadow take a hit then get up again. Apparently, this was no   
  
robot that Robotnik just created.  
  
"I'm the COOLEST!" Shadow grinned, just to make his point, then   
  
spindashed into Sonic.  
  
"Oof!" Sonic grunted. That's it. Sonic has to do something. He   
  
closed his eyes and concentrated.  
  
"What's the matter, faker? In pain?" Shadow laughed, getting   
  
ready to attack him again.  
  
"SONIC WIND!!!" Sonic cried. A great deal of whirling energy   
  
struck Shadow.  
  
"ARGH!" Shadow yelled. That's IMPOSSIBLE! The hedgehog can't   
  
bear any electro-energy...unless he had a chaos emerald with him   
  
somewhere! "Oh, I SEE! So you're NOT JUST a hedgehog!"  
  
So the hedgehog wants to play dirty, huh? Shadow growled, pulling   
  
out a Chaos emerald he had borrowed. "CHAOS SPEAR!"  
  
A charge of lightning struck Sonic from above. "AGH!" he yelped.   
  
Both were low on energy and just about spent.  
  
Sonic remembered how Shadow lost him earlier. It was worth a   
  
shot.  
  
Shadow looked on. The hedgehog was exausted. Now to finish it off-  
  
"TIME STOP!" Sonic yelled, and suddenly dissappeared.  
  
"WHAT?!" Shadow yelped, but didn't have time to react as Sonic   
  
reappeared, giving a sucker punch to Shadow's face.  
  
Shadow grabbed his nose as it started gushing.  
  
"Uuuuugh....not bad...for an imposter..." he growled.  
  
"DO you know who I AM?!" Sonic grinned. He had won this round.  
  
Chao Island  
  
Meanwhile, Chaima sat in the floor of a daycare room, bored, when   
  
a familiar figure ran up to him.  
  
"Chaima! I found you!" Pucha cheered.  
  
"Pucha?! What are you doing here?!" Chaima cried.  
  
"Amy took me here. Left me here while she went to rescue Sonic,"   
  
Pucha pouted.  
  
"Geez, who's ever thought school was like prision?" Chaima sighed.  
  
Chapter 14: "Green Forest"  
  
Sonic and Shadow faced off each other, both ready to tear into   
  
each other again, when Shadow's comm-link beeped.  
  
"Shadow! What are you doing?! Hurry up and get back here before   
  
the island blows up with you ON it!" Robotnik radioed in.  
  
"BLOWS UP?!" Sonic yelped. What in the heck is Robotnik tryin to   
  
prove?! Shadow, still shocked fromthe battle, gave Sonic a glance, and   
  
ran off faster than a scared rabbit.  
  
Sonic looked around, trying to get his bearings.  
  
"I've got to get outta here, and find Amy and Tails right away!"   
  
Sonic gasped, taking off himself.  
  
Shalita bladed towards Sonic, following him. She wasn't able to   
  
keep up with him, but she knew where he was heading. She saw the fight,   
  
and decided now was NOT the best time to follow Shadow some more.  
  
"Sonic! Wait up!" Shalita yelled.  
  
Sonic looked behind him and saw Shalita. "Come on! Grab my hand!"   
  
he yelled.  
  
Shalita raced up and grasped it, and Sonic towed her behind him.   
  
"The island's about to blow!"  
  
"I know! We have 5 minutes to get outta here!" Shalita called   
  
back.  
  
"How do you know?!"  
  
"Shadow told me!!!"  
  
"You ran into him again?! Shal, you gotta stay away from him,   
  
he's DANGEROUS!"  
  
"But Sonic, I'm tryin to gather as much information about him as   
  
I can! I have this bad feeling about something!" Shalita yelled.  
  
"Well knowing that the island's gonna blow up would make ANYONE   
  
feel that way!" Sonic yelled sarcasticly.  
  
"That's not what I meant! Look, I'll talk to you about it when   
  
we get San Francisco. Toni should have that information for me by   
  
now," Shalita said.  
  
"Let's see you get within 10 miles of her place before the police   
  
finds you," Sonic grumbled.  
  
"Whatever. Look, there's Amy and Tails ahead! Let's book it!"   
  
Shalita said.  
  
Chao Island  
  
Chaima and Pucha sat in a corner of the room, when a white chao   
  
walked up to them.  
  
"Hi! You new here?" she asked Chaima.  
  
"Go away," Chaima grumbled. Pucha back-handed Chaima and grinned   
  
nervously. "Sorry, Charika. He's been in a bad mood."  
  
"It's okay. You wanna play a game?" Charika asked.  
  
"Not really. We're not in the mood..." Pucha sighed.  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Well, his friend got arrested yesterday, and he's stuck here.   
  
And Amy left me here..." Pucha sighed.  
  
"Aww, that's too bad. Maybe we can play on the see-saw later when   
  
the teacher takes us outside!" Charika smiled, then tottered off.  
  
"Who was that?" Chaima asked.  
  
"Charika. She's an angel chao. It means she's nice, but follows   
  
rules, so don't expect escape routes from her," Pucha said. Chaima   
  
grumbled.  
  
"Nuts."  
  
Chapter 15: "The Plot Thickens"  
  
1 minute, 25 seconds, beeped Shadow's watch and he ran for the   
  
compound with all his speed.  
  
1 minute to go as he ran past the guards into the compound.  
  
10 seconds as he found Rouge holding the two medallions and chaos   
  
emerald.  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow called, grabbing the shocked Rouge as   
  
he ran by.  
  
Sonic held Amy and Shalita tight as Tails throttled his plane   
  
in the air. they barely got half a mile out when the island blew,   
  
sending off a shockwave that passed through the waves of the ocean.  
  
ARK  
  
The girl's face reflected in the glass, as she watched the earth   
  
slowly turn, from the comfort of the medical room.  
  
"Shadow, what do you think its like on Earth?" she asked the   
  
dark hedgehog beside her.  
  
"The professor said that his life's work was dedicated to all of   
  
those who lived down there. He once told that the reason for his   
  
existance was making people happy through the power of science," Shadow   
  
explained.  
  
"Shadow..." the girl started.  
  
"Maria, I just don't know anything anymore...I often wonder why   
  
I was created. What my purpose is for being here... Maybe if I go   
  
down there I...I will find the answers...maybe..." Shadow said.   
  
"Maria..."  
  
"Why so melancholy?" Rouge called, interupting Shadow's thoughts   
  
as he stood in the same place he once had conversations with Maria.   
  
"That was so unexpected, so unlike you, Shadow, to come and rescue me..."   
  
she continued. "But your ability to use the Chaos Control certainly   
  
comes in handy!"  
  
"Hmph. You know, I didn't come to save you. I came back for the   
  
chaos emeralds," Shadow said, facing her.  
  
"Yeah yeah, but that's not the whole story, is it?" Rouge asked.  
  
Robotnik interupted them as he entered the room, clearing his   
  
throat. "Everything is ready to go!"  
  
Rouge turned to him. "Are you SURE? We only have 6 of the 7 chaos   
  
emeralds you know!"  
  
"It's more than enough for the demonstration!" Shadow said. "So   
  
let's get the show on the road!"  
  
While Robotnik was under planning session, Rouge found Shadow down   
  
near the teleport, getting ready to head back to Earth.  
  
"Where are YOU going?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Going to keep an eye on that blue hedgehog. Don't want him up   
  
here before the demonstration at the very least," Shadow informed.   
  
Rouge shrugged her shoulders, not giving it a second thought as Shadow   
  
left for the planet.  
  
Shdaow arrived, immeditely hearing the voices of Sabre and Manic   
  
nearby. He listened.  
  
"So how much longer do we gotta keep this up?" Manic asked.  
  
"'Till this mission is over. Once the world is saved, we can go   
  
home. I'll be heading off to find my family," Sabre said.  
  
Shadow gritted his teeth, and was about to go eliminate them,   
  
when he heard the next sentance start up.  
  
"Manic, do you have a girlfriend?"  
  
"Well...not yet, but I kinda like someone..."  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"Her name is Sierra.....she's really beautiful and smart..."  
  
"How long have you liked her?" Sabre asked.  
  
"A few months now..." Manic said.  
  
"Manic! I'm suprised you didn't ask her on a date!" Sabre said.  
  
"I know. The way things been going, thou, I think that when I   
  
see her again...I'll tell her how I feel..."  
  
Shadow bit his lip. The world was about to destroyed, and Shalita   
  
doesn't know. Why would he care? Does he...LIKE....her? He closed his   
  
eyes, thinking of Maria. He liked Maria. But then....she was gone.   
  
Should he let Shalita perish like she did? He tightened his fist. He   
  
better find her...  
  
Chapter 16: "Pumpkin Hill"  
  
In a mountainous region  
  
5:30 P.M.  
  
The sun was starting to set in the mountians as Knuckles looked   
  
around.  
  
"This place sure feels haunted..." he said quietly. "There's no   
  
time to lose. I HAVE to hurry and find the Master Emerald..."  
  
Meanwhile, a set of figures watched him.  
  
"Is it the one?" one asked.  
  
"Yes. The one bearing the cresent moon on its chest. Destroy it   
  
before it is too late," another voice said.  
  
"Church Mountain," Knucles read aloud, reading the sign of the   
  
first mountian he glided to. He looked around. "Not too shabby. Creepy   
  
graveyard though.."  
  
As he walked around, he passed wierd-shaped tombstone heads. One   
  
was shaped like a skull.  
  
As soon as he walked past it, the skull shot out a flame of fire.  
  
"Yow! Well, someone must of accidently turned up the gas too   
  
much..." Knux said. He inspected the skull and found a knob. He turned   
  
it, and the flame went out. "There! Now it's not a fire hazard!"  
  
He grinned, glad to be of service to whoever lived in the area. He   
  
looked up to an old rotted tree. "Hey! A shard!" He grabbed it and   
  
walked away, putting the shard in his knapsack.  
  
From behind the skull, a ghost pushed on another ghost and started   
  
arguing about how much of a lousy aim it had.  
  
Knuckles landed on Pumpkin Mountian, and no wonder! Everywhere he   
  
walked, there were pumpkins everywhere! He saw another sign.  
  
"Pumpkin Field. Well, cute name for the place..." he said. He   
  
stopped, looking at the ground. "Hey! Here's a shard!"  
  
He bent over to pick it up, never noticing the pumpkin flying over   
  
him. A nearby ghost that was about to toss one at Knux himself was   
  
bashed by the pumpkin and fell to the ground, dissappearing. Knux heard   
  
the splat and looked.  
  
"Hey wait a minute... that's not nice. That could of been a nice   
  
pumpkin pie!" he complained. "Someone else is DEFINITELY around here!"  
  
The ghost that had tossed the pumpkin slapped its forehead as the   
  
echidna glided off towards Ghost Train Mountian. One could only hope...  
  
On Ghost Train Mountian, Knux looked around the long forgotten   
  
train track.  
  
"The next one is around here somewhere..." he said. He heard a   
  
train whistle.  
  
"Huh? So someone IS here. Great, maybe I could ask him a few   
  
questions..."  
  
He didn't get the chance. The bright light shoned as a train   
  
started bearing down on him.  
  
"Is that guy CRAZY! He'll get himself killed!" Knux yelped,   
  
leaping out of the way.  
  
Inside the the engine room, the ghost cursed for missing, but   
  
screamed when he realized he was heading for a wall.  
  
The train crashed into the wall and Knux sighed.  
  
"Doesn't look like anyone was in it, thank goodness," he noted.   
  
"Hey, here's the shard!"  
  
He ran to the caboose and grabbed it, grinning.  
  
"Good, now I can get out of here!" he said, gliding off.  
  
The dazed ghost popped out of the train window. That echidna is   
  
tough to kill...  
  
Chapter 17: "Learning Something New"  
  
San Francisco  
  
Shalita entered the small store. A mink behind the counter gasped,   
  
leaping up.  
  
"Whoa Toni! I'm NOT dead yet, but I WILL be if you scream and   
  
those military guards outside hear you," Shalita said.  
  
The mink gasped. "Oh geez, Shal. You gave me a heart attack this   
  
morning when I saw the news-"  
  
"Yeah yeah, I know. Shut up and give me the details. What do   
  
ya know?" Shal asked, irritated.  
  
"Not much. There is NO record of a Shadow Hedgehog in the   
  
records-HOWEVER-"  
  
"However...?" Shalita asked.  
  
"However, considering that the military is so hell-bent on   
  
finding this guy, I hacked into the military system to pull up ANYTHING.   
  
And came across something called 'Project Shadow'..."  
  
"PROJECT? Are you saying he's not a real person?" Shalita asked.  
  
"I don't know all the details myself, because all the information   
  
was left in the military lab on Prision Island..."  
  
Shalita slapped herself. "WHICH just BLEW UP!"  
  
"Sorry, girl..." Toni could only say.  
  
"Perfect..." Shalita sighed, hitting her head against the wall.  
  
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, you want to look at the new   
  
shipment of porcelean dolls we just got in? I'll let ya keep one,"   
  
Toni said.  
  
"Hmm? Oh...sure, okay..." Shalita said, walking to the back   
  
of the store with her.  
  
Toni pulled out a set of dolls for Shal to see. "They come   
  
straightr from China."  
  
"They're beautiful! I like these two here," Shal said,   
  
pointing.  
  
"They're cool. Which one you want?"  
  
"Not sure. What do you think?"  
  
"Dunno..."  
  
"What do they do?" someone asked.  
  
The two turned around, facing a familiar hedgehog.  
  
"Shadow!" Shal gasped. "What are YOU doing here?!"  
  
"None of your business. Answer my question, runt."  
  
"Care to REPEAT it, bad boy?" Shalita growled.  
  
"Yeah. What do THOSE things do?" Shadow re-stated.  
  
"Ummm...not much...."  
  
"Then why do you want one?"  
  
Toni growled, but Shalita held her back. "If you REALLY want to   
  
know, they remind me of my mother!"  
  
Shadow's face twisted from seriousness, to confusion.  
  
"What?" Shalita asked.  
  
"What's a mother...?" Shadow asked quietly.  
  
Shalita's face softened. "You mean you don't even know...?"  
  
"No...uhhhh....who cares?" Shadow grumbled.  
  
Shalita sighed, knowing he was only masking his emerging   
  
curiosity.  
  
"I'm outta here..." Toni said, walking out on this strange   
  
conversation.  
  
Shalita and Shadow were now alone...  
  
"So...what is a mother?" Shadow repeated, dropping the act.  
  
"A mother....she is a female person that...created you and cares   
  
for you..." Shalita said.  
  
"A female....I wasn't created by a female though...Professor   
  
Gerald was a man. A great one who cared for me at that," Shadow said.  
  
"Well....that...I suppose, would be considered a father then..."   
  
Shalita said.  
  
"A father...I see. What about Maria? She didn't create me, but   
  
she cared for me..." Shadow asked.  
  
"I think....she would be like a sister...." Shalita said.  
  
"A sister....do you have a sister?"  
  
"Well...yes and no..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Well, I have two sisters. We came from the same mother. But...  
  
my sisters didn't care for me. I was abused and they hated me...."  
  
Shadow looked sad. "That's awful...why are they called your   
  
sisters if they didn't care for you?"  
  
"Well, you can have a sister one of two ways. They either come   
  
from the same mother, or they care for you..."  
  
"Oh...I get it..." Shadow said.  
  
"You learn something new everyday, I always say," Shalita said.  
  
"Indeed. May I ask another question?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"What if someone cared for another in a different way....it's   
  
hard to explain-"  
  
"Wait. I think I know what you mean. Do you feel like you're   
  
walking on air sometimes, and the moon always seems to be full. And   
  
the sun seems to be shining, even on a rainy day?"  
  
Shadow stared at her. "You felt it before?"  
  
Shalita nodded. "It's called love..."  
  
"Love..." Shadow whispered. "What does one do when he is in   
  
love...?"  
  
"Well-" Shalita started, but the two were inturpted by Toni.  
  
"Hey Shal? You got a long-distance call from Florida, here."  
  
"Florida? Who'd be calling me HERE from Florida?" Shalita asked.  
  
"Dunno, but make it snappy. The person called Collect and I'm   
  
havin to pay for the charges," Toni said.  
  
Shal sighed and turned to Shadow. "Excuse me a mo-"  
  
She stopped, seeing he had suddenly dissappeared. "-ment? Good   
  
going Toni, you ran him outta town!"  
  
"Just answer the phone!" Toni said, irritated.  
  
Shalita sighed, grabbing the phone. "Hello?"  
  
After a moment she looked at Toni and rolled her eyes, hanging up. "Internet stalkers."  
  
Chapter 18: "Decisions, Decisions"  
  
June 25th, 2085  
  
Old San Francisco Library  
  
11:09 A.M.  
  
The next day found Shadow at a small abandoned library. How humans   
  
could leave such knowledge that are books to go to waste, he'll never   
  
understand. However, he did find books on the subject he was looking for.   
  
He also went downtown to obseve other people. He saw a man and a woman   
  
holding a little girl's hand, walking past a shop window.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy, we we go in there?" the little girl asked.  
  
"Of course, sweetie," the mother replied, and they went inside.  
  
"A mother.....and a father...." he murmured. He read in his book   
  
how humans are created. It seemed like an AMAZING process. But....he   
  
wasn't created that way. He wasn't naturally born. So could he REALLY   
  
consider Gerald his father, the man who created him through science?   
  
One thing's for sure, he would MOST definitely consider Maria his   
  
sister. They grew up together.  
  
Then something really caught his attention.  
  
A man walking up a set up stairs, knocked on the door, holding   
  
flowers and a box of chocolates. A woman answered the door. "Charlie!   
  
How sweet of you!"  
  
"Just something to show that I love you!" he said, grinning.  
  
Shadow watched. "So that's how someone declares when they are   
  
in love....but what could I get for Shalita...?"  
  
He had no money to get her anything. So maybe...maybe he can make   
  
something for her...but what? All he could remember what to make were   
  
some things Maria taught him....  
  
"Hey...that's IT!" he smiled. "Thank you, Maria!"  
  
Revenge was the furthest thing from his mind when he ran off.  
  
June 30th, 2085  
  
San Francisco Downtown Apartments  
  
7:39 P.M.  
  
He was prepared. 5 days later found him just down the street   
  
from Shalita's apartment, with a bouquet and a small box. He took a   
  
deep breath. He was gonna take her away from this planet, and save her   
  
from the deadly destruction. He must respect Maria's wishes, but he   
  
will not let Shalita suffer for it.  
  
As he apprached the door, he stopped, his heart dropping into his   
  
stomach. At the door, with a small bouquet of red roses was that blue   
  
hedgehog again. Shalita opened the door. "Sonic!"  
  
"Hey Shalita...I been thinking of you lately, since we been so   
  
busy..." he said, then gave her a deep kiss.  
  
The flowers fell from Shadow's weakening hand. His heart was   
  
broken. She already had someone who loves her. He held the small box   
  
tightly to his chest, and let his anger override his sadness. Burn   
  
this world, and everyone on it, he thought angrily, marching off back   
  
towards the ground base.  
  
"Sonic!" Shalita struggled to say, pushing the hedgehog away from   
  
her. "Tonight's not the best night.."  
  
"But Shal-!" Sonic argued.  
  
"GO HOME!" she screamed, slamming the door in his face.  
  
Sonic stopped, biting his lip. She hated him.  
  
Sabre and Manic were into another conversation when Shadow marched   
  
in, with a gun in his hand.  
  
"Game over," he growled. "I know you're here to sabotage Dr.   
  
Robotnik's plans. Well you two can just DIE with the rest of the world!"  
  
"Manic! Get outta here!!!" Sabre cried, ripping off the fake   
  
device on the back of his neck.  
  
"SABRE!" Manic yelled. Shadow fired the gun, and Sabre took it to   
  
the chest. "NOOOO!!!"  
  
Shadow watched in cold blood as Sabre collasped against a console,   
  
clutching her wound.  
  
Shadow's hand trembled, and he dropped the gun, not caring that   
  
Manic was escaping. He was no better than the military guards that....  
  
"What have I done....?" he whispered, then decided to head back   
  
towards the ARK before something ELSE ripped at his heart.  
  
Chapter 19: "World Domination"  
  
July 3rd, 2085  
  
6:00 P.M.  
  
All telivision signals and satilaitte transmissions were   
  
interupted. Those in San Francisco looked up as a large TV on a building   
  
flickered on, revealing the rounge human that was Dr. Robotnik.  
  
"Citizens of Earth! Lend me your ears, and listen VERY carefully.   
  
My name is Dr. Eggman, the world's GREATEST scientist, and soon to be   
  
the world's greatest RULER. Now witness the beginning of the greatest   
  
empire of all time! Hahaha...."  
  
All eyes all over the world turned to the sky, as out in space,   
  
what seemed to be a small meteor burst apart, revealing the face of a   
  
person with a long mustashe. The needle nose opened up, revealing a blue   
  
light. It fired a blue beam, which could clearly be seen from the   
  
surface, and it struck the moon. Half the side heated up, and blew   
  
apart, leaving only half the moon.  
  
People started shrieking in shock, as on the TV screens, a counter   
  
started coutning down. 23:58:39.  
  
San Francisco, California  
  
Shalita ran franticly into Toni's store.  
  
"Whoa! Shal, where's the fire? I know you been looking for Shadow,   
  
but I tell ya, he's NOT here!" Toni said.  
  
"Better get outside and see this, Toni!" she said, panting.  
  
"Why, there a crime scene outside?" Toni asked.  
  
"HALF the MOON just BLEW UP!" she growled.  
  
Toni fell out of her chair. "Get outta here! The MOON just BLEW   
  
UP?!"  
  
Shalita grabbed Toni's hand and yanked her outside. Toni took a   
  
look and fainted. The half that blew up was still red hot.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Part 2

"The Shadows of Sonic, Part 2"  
  
written by Shayne Thames  
  
Sonic and related characters © and ™ SEGA  
  
Shalita and related characters © Star Dreams Entertainment  
  
Chapter 20: "Mission Street"  
  
Sonic, Tails and Amy looked up in the sky, gaping, as people   
  
paniced in the streets.  
  
"Look! Half of the moon is GONE?" Amy pointed.  
  
"Eggman!" Sonic growled. "Oh, that creep NEVER gives up!"  
  
"But how did he managed to harness all that energy?" Tails   
  
asked.  
  
"It's got to be the Chaos Emeralds..." Sonic murmured. "Yeah!   
  
THAT'S the reason they were looking for them!"  
  
Tails slowly reaching into the cockpit of his Walker and pulled   
  
out a gem.  
  
"Tails!" Sonic stared. He had a Chaos Emerald with him the   
  
entire time?  
  
"The Chaos Emeralds are like magnets," Tails stated. "They have   
  
the power to attract each other. I can use that to find where Eggman   
  
is!"  
  
Sirens wailed, and once again, lights shone down on them.  
  
"The three of you! Freeze! Get your hands in the air and get   
  
on the ground!" the captian yelled through his megaphone.  
  
"I'll take care of the police, while you try to find a way outta   
  
here! Find Eggman!" Sonic said.  
  
"Got it!" Tails said, as the two took off.  
  
"'The three of you?'" Amy murmured. "That means me too! Hey!   
  
WAIT!!!!"  
  
Amy ran off after the boys.  
  
Tails ran down the street in his Walker, running from the police,   
  
and blasting the guard bots that got in his way. A message came through   
  
on his radio.  
  
"Tails, it's Sonia! What's going on out there? I can see you from   
  
my apartment-"  
  
"Sonia, big trouble. Get outside so I can pick you up," Tails   
  
called.  
  
"Okay..." Sonia said.  
  
Shalita flagged Sonic down as he ran past. "Hey, what's going on?"   
  
Shalita called.  
  
"No time!" Sonic called, grabbing her. "Let's go!"  
  
Police were shooting at Tails as Sonia ran to him and hopped   
  
in.  
  
"Why are they shooting at us?!" Sonia yelped.  
  
"Sonic's been framed, and we're suddenly the bad guys!" Tails   
  
said.  
  
"So where to?" Sonia asked.  
  
"Anywhere but here!" Tails said, taiking off down the street.  
  
The Golden Gate Bridge was eerily quiet as Tails and Sonia   
  
traveled down it.  
  
"There's been some construction going on, that's why no one is   
  
here," Tails said to Sonia.  
  
"I see. Will we be safe here?" Sonia asked.  
  
"I think so...." Tails said.  
  
He spoke too soon.  
  
It started as a tremble, but then the entire bridge started   
  
shaking.  
  
"EARTHQUAKE!" Tails yelped.  
  
"Get off the bridge!" Sonia screamed as Tails drove the Eggwalker   
  
off the bridge as fast as he could.  
  
As soon as they got off, they waited until it was over. They   
  
sighed. "What rotten timing for an earthquake," Sonia sighed.  
  
"Yeah..." Tails said.  
  
A shot rang out that sent Tails on the run again. He shot at a   
  
few robots, and ran into a dark alley. He stayed in the shadows until   
  
the police finished screeching down the road. Safe at last...  
  
Chapter 21: "Aquatic Mines"  
  
In a mountianous region  
  
8:21 P.M.  
  
Knuckles looked around, a bit confused. He was inside a mine   
  
filled with water.  
  
"Hmm...I didn't expect the inside of the mines to be like this...  
  
this is gonna be tougher than I thought!" he said, cracking his knuckles.  
  
Nearby, a ghost was watching him. "Sire, he's in the mines. What   
  
shall we do?"  
  
"Deep-Six the pest," came the reply.  
  
Knuckles walked around the mine, inspecting a console.  
  
Behind him, floating in the water was a ghost with a thin mustashe   
  
and a bozooka.  
  
"Adieu, Mouseur Echidna! Heheheheh!" the ghost laughed with a   
  
french accent.  
  
"Wonder what this button does," Knux said, flipping a switch.  
  
The water level under the ghost sank suddenly.  
  
"Aieeeee!" he yelped, falling.  
  
"HUH?!" Knux yelled, looking behind him. No one was there.  
  
"Oh...THAT'S what I heard!" he said. "The water sank a level! I   
  
get it..."  
  
Knux flipped another switch.  
  
The ghost below muttered as he pulled his bazooka out from   
  
the water. "Steeupid Americans. Can't even fight honorably."  
  
The water level started rising, setting the ghost underwater.   
  
"Steeupid Americans..."  
  
Knux scratched his head as he turned around. And found an   
  
emerald shard sitting at the base of a pillar.  
  
"Hey! Found one!" he grinned. He looked up the pillar. There   
  
seemed to be another room above the area. "Are there any more up   
  
there...?"  
  
Knux grabbed a pulley, and it pulled him up to the top level.   
  
There were overturned mine-carts.  
  
"Huh. Must of been an earthquake..." Knux guessed, and started   
  
putting the mine cart.  
  
A ghost was hiding under a cart, snickering. When that echidna   
  
finds him, he's gonna scare him to death! He waited...and waited...and   
  
waited.  
  
"What is he doing out there?" the ghost thought and went to peek   
  
out. The echidna was gone. "Where did he go?"  
  
The ghost came across a hole. "Did the echidna go down there...?"  
  
SMACK! The ghost was hit with a piece of plank being tossed out   
  
of the hole. Dazed, the ghost collasped behind the mine cart.  
  
CLANK!  
  
"Ah hah! Found it!" Knux said, popping out of the hole with   
  
another shard. "Wonder where to from here...?"  
  
A console caught his eye. Above a switch was marked Level 3...  
  
"Well?" the ghost boss asked.  
  
"We....ah...didn't exactly kill him...YET! But we will!" a   
  
ghost said.  
  
"You idiot! You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn! Where's   
  
the echidna NOW?"  
  
"He's...heading to level 3, boss," the ghost said.  
  
"Level 3?! Stop him, now! If he finds the magic air necklace,   
  
then we can never drown him!"  
  
Knux looked around, tumbling into a mine shaft. He thought he   
  
sensed an emerald close by.  
  
Behind a door, a ghost waited with an ax. There was no way the   
  
echidna could escape THIS time. As soon as the echidna opened the door-  
  
SLAM! The door burst open, slamming into the ghost, knocking it   
  
senseless. "It's got to be close...."  
  
In the room, he found what looked like a mini-oxygen tank on a   
  
necklace.  
  
"Hey cool! I can dive underwater now!" Knux said, putting it on.   
  
He walked out, closing the door. The ghost, flattened againt the wall,   
  
groaned.  
  
Knux dived underwater. He could see it glimmering in the distance.   
  
He swam up to it and got it. That was it!  
  
Chapter 22: "Where's Eggman?"  
  
In the capital city  
  
9:03 A.M.  
  
July 4th, 2085  
  
Tails sat in his Tornado, which had now converted into a car,   
  
hiding in the alley as alarms still screamed through the area. Sonia sat   
  
behind him. Amy stood next to them, along with Shalita. Sonic finally   
  
radioed in on the communicator.  
  
"Sheesh! There always seems to be a lot of police around when you   
  
DON'T need them! Tails, any news yet?"  
  
"For some reason, I'm not getting a signal from the 6 remaining   
  
Chaos Emeralds. Maybe Eggman took the emeralds into outer space!" Tails   
  
reported.  
  
"Outer space?" Amy asked. That's a long way to travel!  
  
A banging was heard coming from the manhole cover. Everyone backed   
  
up, expecting the police to chage from there at any moment. The cover   
  
slid off, and a head popped out.  
  
"Knuckles!" Amy sighed in relief.  
  
"Hey guys! Long time, no see! I must of gotten lost in the mines.   
  
Looking for the Master Emerald pieces was thougher than I thought it   
  
was gonna be," Knux said, looking around. "Where are we anyway?"  
  
Amy ran over, and started pulling Knuckles out of the sewer. She   
  
was getting out the way he came in!  
  
"Hey, where ya going?!" Knux yelped.  
  
"Move aside, Knuckles!" Amy said, continuing to pull on his head   
  
to get him out.  
  
"I managed to find the transcripts between Eggman and the   
  
Presedent in the government computers," Tails suddenly announced into   
  
the radio, looking at soem information on the console in front of him.   
  
"I'm following the Presedent's Limo right now! If we get into the limo,   
  
we can trace the call to find Eggman!"  
  
"Okay! Let's meet up there!" Sonic said.  
  
Tails revved up the Tonado and suddenly took off. Knux ducked in   
  
the hole for a moment, to avoid getting ran over by Tails as he shot   
  
off down the road.  
  
"HEY! Wait for me, Tails!" Amy shouted.  
  
Shalita looked at the others.  
  
"If y'all excuse me, I gotta go take care of something. I'll have   
  
my radio on so y'all can keep me informed of your progress, alright?"  
  
"Okay..." Amy said.  
  
Out on Route 101, Tails drove, while Sonia hung on. "The Presedent   
  
must be over there! Let's go!"  
  
"Where did this black hedgehog come from?" Sonia asked.  
  
"No one knows. He just suddenly showed up over 2 weeks ago!" Tails   
  
said. "I'm getting closer!"  
  
"Great. I noticed Sonic sounded a bit...disturbed. Something   
  
happened?"  
  
"Yeah. He and Shalita broke up last week. No one knows why!"   
  
Tails said.  
  
Sonic's voice came on the raido. "Tails, did you find the   
  
Presedent?"  
  
"Almost, Sonic! Just a few more minutes!" Tails called back.  
  
"So what's gonna happen if we don't find Eggman?" Sonia asked.  
  
"...we may never exist, Sonia..." Tails said quietly.  
  
They were silent for a few minutes until Tails spotted a long   
  
black car ahead of him.  
  
"Yeah! I found the Presedent!" Tails called on the radio.  
  
"'Mr. Presedent, reports show that since the incident three hours   
  
ago, the country is in turmoil. Our financial communities are impacted,   
  
and our satalitte communcations are down. An emergency meeting has been   
  
called. Mr. Presedent, this is a national crisis,'" the secretary   
  
read aloud the e-mail to the Presedent.  
  
The Presedent sighed, and looked up towards the video screen.   
  
"Spare me the details. Exactly just what is it that you want...Dr.   
  
Eggman?"  
  
Up on the screen was Dr. Robotnik himself. "Heheheheh. Well, let's   
  
just get down to business then, shall we, Mr. Presedent? I won't bore   
  
you with all the details since you are a very busy man. Mr. Presedent,   
  
my demands are quite simple. Surrender to the Eggman Empire and make   
  
no attempts to resist. OTHERWISE..."  
  
The Presedent leaned forward. "Otherwise...?"  
  
"Otherwise, your country will cease to exist! You have 24 hours   
  
to give me your answer-" Robotnik continued.  
  
"NO WAY!" came the yell from outside.  
  
"What the-?!" the Presedent yelped, looking outside. Running   
  
alongside the limo was Sonic the Hedgehog himself. He grinned at the   
  
Presedent. "Heheheh!" . He leaped up and through the sunroof of the   
  
limo.  
  
"Sonic! YOU-" Robotnik growled.  
  
"Eggman Empire! Yeah, RIGHT!" Sonic said. Tails leaped into the limo   
  
with Sonic, while Sonia was keeping up outside, driving the Tornado.  
  
"What the heck's going on there?!" the Presedent demanded.  
  
Tails ran over to the console, and grabbed the disk from it,   
  
disconnecting the video link.  
  
"Oh no! What'd you DO?!" the Presendet asked.  
  
"Don'[t worry, Mr. Presedent, everything's under control!" Sonic   
  
reassured. "Just leave it to us! Got it, Tails?"  
  
Tails held up the disk. "I got it! He's transmitting from the   
  
space colony ARK!"  
  
"Okay! Let's MOVE IT!" Sonic said, leaping out of the limo. Tails   
  
followed. "Wait up, Sonic!"  
  
"Hey you-WAIT!!!!!" the Presedent yelled at the duo, too late   
  
to stop them.  
  
"Mr. Presedent, we're recieving an incoming signal from our   
  
agent," the secretary interupted.  
  
"What are we going to do NOW?" he sighed.  
  
"As the blue hedgehog said, Sir. Leave it to them..." a small   
  
voice called. The Presedent looked up. "You know something, Princess   
  
Kymira?"  
  
The small soft lavender hedgehog sitting in the car looked up.   
  
"History has a way of writing itself, by depending on its future," she   
  
said.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
"Mr. Presedent...that blue hedgehog...Sonic the Hedgehog...IS   
  
our future," she said.  
  
As she said so, she sent an e-mail on the laptop. "Shanna,   
  
Sonic just left..."  
  
Chapter 23: "The Last Chaos Emerald"  
  
Back on the ARK, Dr. Robotnik was slamming his fist against the   
  
console. Sonic was interferring again!  
  
Rouge entered the room, seeing Robotnik throwing his fit. "Why   
  
are you SO upset?"  
  
She added in a sarcastic tone. "Well THAT was really impressive!   
  
You've managed to create havoc on the WHOLE planet! Does this now mean   
  
we CONTROL the planet and can do as we CHOOSE?"  
  
"At this rate, the cannon will take too much time to charge up.   
  
If you want to unleash its full potential, you'll need ALL 7 Chaos   
  
Emeralds," Shadow said.  
  
Robotnik whirled around towards Rouge. "Where in the WORLD have   
  
YOU been?"  
  
Rouge looked at Shadow. "Something happen?" she asked innocently.  
  
"Our threats fell on deaf ears," is all Shadow could say.  
  
Rouge eyed Robotnik. "Look at you! Thowing a tamtrem like a   
  
little kid! How TOTALLY embarrassing!"  
  
"Don't forget YOUR end of the bargain, BAT GIRL!" Robotnik shot   
  
back. "What about that last Chaos Emerald? We had a DEAL, RIGHT? So   
  
where is my emerald?"  
  
Rouge pulled out a newspaper from her pocket. It was the same one   
  
she took when she first stole the Master Emerald. "Here you go! I   
  
found THIS!"  
  
"Why didn't you show me this BEFORE?" Robotnik demanded, grabbing   
  
the paper from her hands. He read it aloud. "'Station Square saved from   
  
a life-threatening Missle Attack. The city has awared its famed prize   
  
to the boy who saved Station Square. Miles 'Tails' Prower was given the   
  
Chaos Emerald as a testament for his heroic deed at a cerimony held in   
  
City Hall!'"  
  
Robotnik cleared his throat. "Hrumph! This makes things a WHOLE   
  
lot easier. Hurry, go back to Earth and find them fast! I WANT that   
  
Chaos Emerald!"  
  
"Did you get that?" Rouge asked Shadow, who seemed a little   
  
distant.  
  
"Soon enough...Maria..." Shadow mumbled as he walked out.   
  
Rouge looked after him supiciously, but had no time as she called   
  
into her communicator.  
  
"This is Rouge, reporting. Currently, I have not been able to   
  
confirm that Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform or not. I will continue my   
  
research on Project: Shadow, and have a follow up report shortly..."  
  
Rouge lowered her voice as she added. "Just a reminder: Don't   
  
forget about my jewels..."  
  
Back on Earth, Sonic radioed in to everyone to meet up in the   
  
desert. Shalita radioed back that she'll catch a ride with Tails when he   
  
passes through Pumpkin Hill Mountians.  
  
In San Francisco, the police chief got a call: Sonic and the 6   
  
other fugitives were heading towards the desert, the area where they   
  
tracked Dr. Robotnik to before he dissappeared...  
  
In the desert, Manic worked hard on his machine.  
  
"Come on, guy, I need you working so you can help the others.   
  
They won't exactly trust me, so I need you to build up some confidence   
  
for them..."  
  
Manic sighed. He's doen his part. Now only if he can get his   
  
friends and family to trust him again...they just have to!  
  
Chapter 24: Route 280  
  
Near the capital city  
  
12:10 P.M.  
  
Rouge drove down the road in her car, looking between the road   
  
and a console on the dashboard.  
  
"I'm picking up a signal from the emerald," she noted. "Fox-Boy,   
  
wait for me!"  
  
She put the pedal to the medal and raced down Route 280 in pursuit   
  
after Tails, ignoring the road construction warning signs.  
  
Her eyes wandered down towards the console. "I must be getting   
  
closer..."  
  
A honk from a semi brought her attention back to the road as she   
  
swirved back to her side of the road before the semi hit her. She   
  
suddenly realized she was heading for a gap in the wall....she could   
  
fall into the ocean! She quickly jerked to the left, nearly bumping   
  
into a car that was riding the same lane as her.  
  
"HEY LADY! Go back and learn how to drive!" a man spat through   
  
the window. Rouge sped up to get past him, leaving the man to curse her   
  
out. Humans and their stupid road rage...  
  
Rouge started passing into a tunnel.  
  
"Rouge, did you find Tails?" Robotnik radioed in, impatiently.  
  
"Wait a minute! Be quiet! Just leave it to me!" Rouge radioed back,   
  
frustrated as she swerved along the road. She looked up and shrieked as   
  
her car leaped off a slanted piece of cement in the road, sent flying   
  
across the tunnel, and smashing through soem road construction signs.  
  
"Sure, NOW they tell me," Rouge grumbled. After a moment, she   
  
heard a distant roar.  
  
What was that? Sounds familiar...  
  
Rouge saw the light up ahead and came out into broad daylight.   
  
The roar was louder here! She looked up and saw Tails in a blue plane!  
  
"I found ya, Fox-Boy!" Rouge laughed.  
  
Above in the plane, Sonia looked down.  
  
"Hey Tails, be glad you're not on the road. There's some maniac   
  
woman down there swerving all over the road!" Sonia giggled.  
  
"Yer right about that!" Tails grinned.  
  
Shalita wandered through the Pumpkin Hill Mountians. She had a   
  
feeling something was going on here, so she told Tails to meet her here.  
  
She hoped to find Shadow somewhere. Maybe he was on the ARK with   
  
Robotnik.  
  
Suddenly she spotted a figure up ahead.  
  
She looked a little harder and grinned.  
  
Shadow was here.  
  
Chapter 25: "Sky Rail"  
  
Shadow stood at the top of a mountian when Rouge radioed in.  
  
"Shadow, they're in that blue plane! Spotted at 11 o'clock!"  
  
"Copy that. I'm in pursuit," Shadow radioed back.  
  
He took off on the railing, heading towards the rendevous point.  
  
He heard a grinding sound and looked behind him.  
  
"RUNT!' he growled, seeing Shalita following him.  
  
"Hey Bad boy! Long time, no see!" she grinned.  
  
"Scram, I don't need you following me," Shadow said, and leaped off   
  
the railing, blading.  
  
"Playing hard to get, huh?" Shalita asked. "Hey, I been looking for   
  
you all week ya know..."  
  
"Oh REALLY?" Shadow asked with a sarcastic tone. "I thought you   
  
been with that blue HEDGEHOG all week..."  
  
"Huh? Ya mean Sonic? No way! We just-"  
  
"-kissed?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I saw you last week. He came up to your apartment and swept you   
  
off your feet. And here YOU are trying to play with my heart! Well I   
  
DON'T PLAY that game-"  
  
Shadow added with venom dripping in his voice. "-SISTER..."  
  
Shalita knew he was only being sarcastic with that last word, but   
  
still. It stopped her cold in her tracks.  
  
"But-"  
  
"GET LOST, RUNT, before I get mad!" Shadow yelled.  
  
Shalita tried one more time and stepped forward. "Shadow-"  
  
"NOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shadow screamed. He was so angry, he   
  
pushed Shalita off the ledge.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shalita screamed, falling the long   
  
ways down.  
  
"I warned you, Runt," Shadow growled with no remorse. As he turned   
  
his back, he looked over his shoulder, a small glint of regret in his   
  
eye. "So long..."  
  
He looked down. Killing another person....someone that he loved, no   
  
less...or did.....his fist tightened.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" he yelled, running back to the ledge.  
  
To his suprise, a blue plane soared up out of nowhere. The   
  
passengers were an orange fox piloting, a pink hedgehog passenger, and   
  
a screaming shell-shocked Shalita.  
  
Silently, he thanked that the orange fox saved her. Then he   
  
scowled. "Stupid runt..."  
  
Shalita was in the cockpit, screaming.  
  
"HE TRIED TO KILL ME! OH MY GOSH, HE TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!!" she   
  
cried.  
  
"Hang on, Shal! Calm down! Calm down, you're okay now," Sonia tried   
  
to reassure her as she settled in the plane. She looked back and glared   
  
at Shadow. Sonia wasn't too fond of Shalita, but even she didn't   
  
deserved that. And this only increased the hatred against the likes   
  
of Shadow...  
  
"Doctor, they're heading directly toward us. What should we do?"   
  
Shadow radioed in.  
  
"Just sit tight! I've got them on radar. There's NO way they can   
  
get away. I don't know what they are planning, but I'll be sure to give   
  
them a warm welcome..." Robotnik radioed back.  
  
Chapter 26: "Eggman's Hidden Base"  
  
Desert Area  
  
1:02 P.M.  
  
Tails' plane landed next to Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic, converting   
  
into his walker. Sonia pried Shalita off of her and leaped out of the   
  
cockpit.  
  
"Hey....Shal...you can get out now..." Tails whispered.  
  
"You okay, Shal?" Sonic asked, but was greeted by Shal's   
  
screaming "HE TRIED TO KILL ME!!!"  
  
Alarmed, Sonic looked at Tails. "What happened?!"  
  
"Shadow pushed Shalita off a cliff," Tails said casually.  
  
"We caught her before she plummeted too far," Sonia asked.  
  
"WHAT?!" Sonic yelled, and ran to Shal.  
  
"Shal! Hey, you're okay now!" he said, grabbing her trembling   
  
hands. She looked to Sonic, tears in her eyes, and suddenly hugged him   
  
tightly. "It's okay, Shal. I'm here now. It's gonna be alright..."  
  
Shalita sobbed, hugging him tightly. Sonic looked at Sonia and he   
  
glared. "Shadow is going to pay for this..."  
  
Amy sighed. "Shalita is SO lucky..."  
  
Tails gave Amy that 'Are you nuts?!' look.  
  
After Shalita calmed down, the group gathered together. "Okay   
  
team, listen up. We're dividing into three groups. Tails and Amy, you   
  
two are together. Knuckles and Sonia, you two pair up. Shalita's with   
  
me," Sonic said.  
  
"Got it!" the others said.  
  
"So where do we head from here?" Tails asked.  
  
"Over there!" Knux pointed. Sonic looked up and saw what looked   
  
like to be a pryamid.  
  
"Inside THAT pryamid?" Sonic asked.  
  
"I saw Eggman go inside the pryamid. And more importaintly, I saw   
  
that bat-girl go inside with him as well," Knuckles said. He looked at   
  
Amy. "You saw them too, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah!" Amy said.  
  
"Should be able to get into outer space from there. I don't know   
  
what this space colony is all about, but I'll find and destroy that   
  
cannon, and then kick their emperial butts!" Sonic said.  
  
"Alright!" Knux agreed.  
  
Tails stepped forward. "I'll go and find the entrance!"  
  
A dozen pairs of eyes watched the group from afar.  
  
"He's in the desert, Sire. And he's brought his friends with him,"   
  
one said.  
  
"You bunch have one last chance to destroy the echidna. Take his   
  
friends with him as well!" came the reply.  
  
"Yes sir!" they all mumbled.  
  
Tails and Amy, in the Tornado walker, wandered through this maze   
  
of confusion. Guards, mixed of what remained of G.U.N.'s robots, and   
  
Robotnik's henchbots, were all around them. They had to be careful.  
  
Tails tried to start a conversation as they walked through the   
  
maze. "You know, Amy, when you get back to Station Square, you need to   
  
concentrate a little less on Sonic, and more to devoting to the cause of   
  
the city. I know you and your group want to be dedicated to fighting   
  
Eggman..."  
  
"You know what, Tails? I think you're right. I need to be   
  
serious. I am, after all, a mayor of the largest city in the South."  
  
"And hey, maybe we could team up to help find Queen Aleena   
  
herself," Tails suggested.  
  
"Hey, sounds like a cool idea!" Amy agreed.  
  
When they entered the next room, Tails stopped.  
  
"Hey, there's the entrance!" Amy pointed off to the right. "Let's   
  
go-...Tails?"  
  
Tails wasn't paying attention, for he was looking ahead. "Tails,   
  
what's wro-AAAAAAAA!!!!!!"  
  
Ahead of them were maybe half a dozen ghosts.  
  
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" Tails and Amy cried, and Tails went   
  
zooming into the entrance, never noticing that they passed Sonic or   
  
Shalita, who had just arrived.  
  
Looking puzzeled, they looking into the room they were running   
  
from. Nothing was there. They looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"What spooked them?" Sonic asked.  
  
"No clue. You know how kids are..." Shalita shrugged.  
  
Chapter 27: "Pryamid Cave"  
  
Sonic and Shalita entered the pryamid, looking around.  
  
"Wow, sure is big," Shalita murmured.  
  
"Yeah..." Sonic agreed. "Let's go..."  
  
As they looked around, it was dark, and spooky.  
  
"Sonic, I'm gonna find a light..." Shalita said.   
  
No answer.   
  
"Sonic?"  
  
Suddenly, torches lit up the room, and Shalita could see.  
  
Sonic was gone.  
  
"SONIC!!!" Shalita cried. "Wherw are you? HELP! Tails! Amy!   
  
SOMEONE!!!!!"  
  
"I can help!" a voice piped up.  
  
Shalita looked up and saw a figure fly towards her. It looked   
  
like some sort of....robotic chao!  
  
"W-who are you?" she asked.  
  
"I'm Omochao, and I'm here to help!" he said.  
  
"Where'd you come from?" she asked.  
  
"What matters right now is finding Sonic. Come on, I know my   
  
way through here!" he said, taking Shalita's hand.  
  
"Okay..." Shalita said uncertianly, following him.  
  
Chao Island  
  
Chaima paced back and forth on the playground, while Pucha sat   
  
in a swing. Chaima heard about the news about Eggman on the ARK, in   
  
control of a powerful weapon. And Sonic must be on his way up there   
  
right now! WITHOUT him!  
  
"Oh get real, Chaima! How are WE supposed to get into outer   
  
space?" Pucha asked.  
  
"I'M WORKING ON IT!" Chaima yelled.  
  
"Psst!" a hiss came from the nearby fence.  
  
"Huh?" they both perked, looking at a black hedgehog.  
  
"Hey, you want outta here and go to the ARK?" the chao asked.  
  
"Well, yeah. Who are you?" Chaima asked.  
  
"Secret Chao Agent Channa. I'm here to bust ya out," he said.  
  
"Great! ....How?" Chaima asked.  
  
"You CAN evove, right?" Channa asked.  
  
"Well DUH," Pucha said. "What about it?"  
  
"No...wait! He's right, look!" Chaima said, pointing to the   
  
fence. The fence was nore more that 2 feet high. Enough to keep regular   
  
chao in. Not evolved, grownup ones.  
  
Chaima and Pucha looked at each other and nodded.  
  
Charika came around a corner, holding a ball.  
  
"Hey Pucha! You wanna-"  
  
She stopped, gasping as Chaima and Pucha glew, and grew. Chaima   
  
turned into a blue hedgehog, and Pucha into a pink fairy. Charika   
  
dropped her ball. "Wowie! I wanna do that!"  
  
"Charika!" Pucha gasped, turning around.  
  
"Charika!!!" Channa groaned. Charika spotted Channa.  
  
"Channa! Go away! No more silly pranks!" Charika whined.  
  
"Pranks?!" Chaima asked, looking at Channa. "Yer NOT a secret   
  
agent?"  
  
"Secret agent?!" Charika asked. "No way. He's just a chao that   
  
hangs around here for no reason!"  
  
"Then what was that about getting us to the ARK?" Chaima asked.  
  
"Well....I know where a space transporter is....BUT I WANNA GO   
  
ON AN ADVENTURE!!!" Channa cried.  
  
"Adventure? Why, wouldn't you rather be with your family?"   
  
Chaima asked.  
  
"I....I dun have one..." Channa said quietly.  
  
"Oh..." Chaima said quietly.  
  
"Hey, can I come?" Charika asked.  
  
"Whoa, the goody-two-shoes wants ta go?!" Channa asked.  
  
"Yeah, I do!" Chaima whined.  
  
"Alright, if it'll shut you up!" Chaima said, picking up   
  
Charika.  
  
"HEY! You!" a voice yelled. Everyone saw the principal coming   
  
their way.  
  
"Uh oh! Let's scram!" Chaima said, hopping over the fence with   
  
Pucha and Charika. Together, they ran off with Channa.  
  
Shalita and Omochao checked every passage, unlocked every door,   
  
but still no Sonic.  
  
"Where could he be?" Shalita wailed.  
  
"Shh, I heard a noise around the corner," Omochao said.  
  
They peeked around the corner and gasped.  
  
There was Sonic, lifeless in the hands of a big ghost!  
  
"HEY!!!!" Shalita yelled in anger. "Leave him alone!"  
  
"About time you got here!" the ghost laughed. "This child   
  
posesses enormous energy to increase my strength. He is more than   
  
enough to satisfy my hunger for energy!" he laughed.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Shalita yelled again.  
  
"WHO are you to make demands of me, the ghost king?!" the ghost   
  
yelled.  
  
Suddenly the lights came on, and the ghosts vanished, dropping   
  
Sonic.  
  
"What the-?!" Shalita yelped, catching Sonic.  
  
Sonic stirred awake. "Ugh, I don't feel too good..." he moaned.  
  
"It's okay, Sonic..." Shalita said, holding him up steady as   
  
Knux and the others ran in.  
  
"Hey, we made it!" Amy cheered.  
  
"Guys, I don't think we're alone-" Shalita started to say.  
  
"Looks like we're heading towards the center of the base,"   
  
Tails announced, interupting Shalita.  
  
"That Egghead sure loves mechanical things, doesn't he?" Sonic   
  
added. "I'll bet he has one or two spaceships laying around here   
  
somewhere!"  
  
Tails walked up to a door. "The door is locked. We need a key to   
  
get in there!"  
  
"No problem! We can find it...." Sonic called. Knuckles sighed.   
  
Leave it to Sonic to find a way in-  
  
"-right, KNUCKLES?"  
  
Knux looked at Sonic soberly.  
  
"What? Why do I have to find the key?" he complained.  
  
"We're counting on you, buddy. The world's GREATEST treasure   
  
hunter!" Sonic winked, giving him the thumbs-up.  
  
Thank you, Sonic, for volinteering FOR me. Sign my Death   
  
certificate while you're at it, Knux thought, never realizing the   
  
experience Sonic just went through to get in here.  
  
Chapter 28: "Death Chamber"  
  
Knuckles and Sonia looked around the area.  
  
"Let's split up. We can find the key faster this way," Knuckles   
  
said.  
  
"Good idea," Sonia agreed.  
  
The ghost king looked at his lackeys.  
  
"You have one last chance to get rid of the red one. If you   
  
don't-"  
  
"YES SIR!" they saluted.  
  
Three ghosts watched as Knux searched a room.  
  
"Hey, watch this," one said. "I'll blow up like a balloon and   
  
scare him to death!" one said.  
  
The ghost inflated until he looked like a balloon. Knux turned   
  
around and saw it. He chuckled.  
  
"Eggman's scares are becoming more lame!" he grinned, and dug a   
  
knuckle into the ghost. It popped.  
  
"That's it..." the second ghost grumbled. "I'm gonna EAT him!"  
  
Knuckles searched another room as the ghost sneaked up behind   
  
him, ready to chomp on him.  
  
Knux pulled out an hourglass.  
  
"Huh? What's this? 'Magic Hourglass'?" he read the label. He   
  
turned it around, and a trap door above shot open, showing sunlihgt.   
  
The ghost vanished just before Knux turned around.  
  
"Neat! Hey, what's that shiny thing?"  
  
Knux put down the hourglass to check it out, not noticing the   
  
third ghost grabbing the hourglass.  
  
"Boss!" the ghost ran to the ghost king, holding the hourglass.   
  
"When the sands run out on the hourglass, the sun will be gone, and you   
  
can defeat the red one!" he said.  
  
"Perfect. I'll teach this echidna never to mess with King Boom   
  
Boo!"  
  
"Found it!" Knux grinned, pulling out the key from under a glass   
  
shield. "Hey Sonia! I found the-"  
  
The door suddenly snapped shut, cutting off most light, and a   
  
growling sound was heard.  
  
"Huh?! Who's there?!" Knuckles yelped, whirling around.  
  
Sitting above him was the LARGEST ghost he's ever seen. Behind him   
  
was his cronie, holding the magic hourglass.  
  
"What the....a-a ghost?!" he whispered.  
  
"BRAWWWW!!!!!!' he yelled, and ran after Knuckles.  
  
"RUUUUN!!!' he yelped, running in the other direction. The two   
  
started to run in wide circles around the room, King Boom Boo throwing   
  
ghostly-but deadly fire at him.  
  
"What'd I do?!" he yelped, leaping from the fire.  
  
"Watch this, Boss! I'll get him!" the little ghost yelled, running   
  
in the other direction at Knuckles.  
  
Knux wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him, only what   
  
was behind him.  
  
"Oof!" he groaned, running into the little ghost. Startled, the   
  
little ghost dropped the Magic Hourglass and it broke into pieces. The   
  
trap door shot open and King Boom Boo howled in pain, sinking beneath   
  
the floor to escape the light. Knux saw the shadow of the ghost.  
  
"Now's my chance!" he grinned running after the shadow. Knux   
  
leaped up, and dug into the floor, grabbing King Boom Boo, and   
  
dragging him to the surface.  
  
King Boom Boo howled and melted into a pultegeist puddle on the   
  
floor.  
  
"Huh....what a hassle!" Knux sighed, walking away.  
  
The little ghost looked at the puddle.  
  
"So the prophecy DID come true...King Boom Boo, the King of   
  
Ghosts...defeated by a red echidna with the moon upon his chest..." the   
  
ghost said. "Oh well, maybe I can take that vacation in Romania now..."  
  
The puddle started bubbling.  
  
"Uh...boss?" the ghost asked, looking at the puddle. A fist shot   
  
out, grabbing the ghost, and pulling it into the puddle, dissappearing   
  
in a puff of smoke as the puddle finally evaporated.  
  
The door to the center of the base slid open, and Knux wiped off   
  
his forhead as Sonia and the others arrived.  
  
"Huh....that was pretty rough!" Knux sighed.  
  
"We did it! Let's go Amy!" Tails cheered.  
  
"Ya!!!" Amy agreed, leaping in the air in victory.  
  
"You little thieves! Did you really think you would get out of   
  
here alive?" a familiar voice called.  
  
"Eh?!" Amy yelped, as she and the others whirled to face a   
  
side-door that was sliding open.  
  
"Come and get some, Eggman!" Sonic challenged, as Dr. Robotnik   
  
stepped through the door.  
  
"Sonic!" Tails yelped.  
  
"Just leave it to me!" Sonic reassured, getting into a fighting   
  
stance.  
  
"This time, I'll take your lives, as WELL as the Chaos Emeralds!"   
  
Robotnik growled. "I call on you to come out and DESTROY these pests!   
  
Come out, my servant!"  
  
A LARGE stone giant climbed out of a pit, taking the group by   
  
suprise.  
  
"Whoa!" Sonic yelped, shocked.  
  
"It's a golem..." Shalita whispered.  
  
"The Egg Golem!" Omochao said. "Sonic, destroy the restraining   
  
bolt on top of his head!"  
  
"Right! You guys go find the ship and get on it! NOW!" Sonic   
  
called.  
  
Knux nodded, and the others took off.  
  
"Follow me, I know how to get outta here!" Omochao called,   
  
leading the way.  
  
Sonic turned his attention back to the Golem. Time to get this   
  
over with.  
  
Chao Island  
  
Chaima, Pucha, Charika and Channa looked through an old military   
  
communication station.  
  
"This place was abandoned 50 years ago, when the ARK was   
  
evacuated. I always wanted to go up there, but not alone," Channa   
  
explained.  
  
"Hey, here's the transporter!" Chaima said, walking to a console.  
  
"YAY! Let's go!" Charika cheered.  
  
Chapter 29: "Hidden Base Intercept"  
  
Inside the pryamid  
  
2:58 P.M.  
  
"Now go! Squash that blue hedgehog, Sonic!" Robotnik ordered the   
  
Egg Golem.  
  
Sonic eyed the large restraining bolt at the top of the stone   
  
giant's heat, and made a flying leap.   
  
"HA! TERIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Sonic cried, spin-dashing on top of   
  
the head. The golem spun its head, starting to malfunction.  
  
"Nice try, Rocky!" Sonic grinned, then made a dash for the launch   
  
bay.  
  
"When Sonic struck its head, it must of broken the restrainling   
  
mechanism. ARRRGH, what a piece of junk!!!" Robotnik growled in anger.  
  
The Golem turned towards Robotnik, it's circuts fried. It reached   
  
out to grab Robotnik.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Robotnik yelped.  
  
Inside the space shuttle, Atlantis, Omochao ran up to the cockpit.  
  
"Sonic's coming, and everyone else is on board!" he reported.  
  
"Good," the pilot said. "We'll wait for Sonic, then take off...."  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Omochao asked.  
  
"I don't know...I'll find out soon enough..." the pilot said   
  
quietly.  
  
"Okay..." Omochao replied.  
  
"By the way, buddy, good job helping Shalita..."  
  
"It's part of the service I provide..." he said.  
  
Robotnik fired furiously at the Golem. If he could break through   
  
the rocky hide, he could destroy the power core inside.  
  
As he fired, the golem attacked, smashing a fist against the   
  
walkway. Robotnik leaped into the air, firing at the golem again. A   
  
piece of exterior broke away, revealing the power core.  
  
"Powering up laser..." Robotnik grumbled.  
  
The Golem flicked Robotnik away.  
  
"ARGH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!!" he yelled. "FIRE!!!!!"  
  
Eggman fired the laser, and a beam shot out, hitting the power   
  
core, destroying it.  
  
The Golem fell lifeless into the pit.  
  
"YES!" he laughed.  
  
Time to head back to ARK...  
  
Chapter 30: "Space Colony 'ARK'"  
  
The top of the pyramid started opening, ready to launch the   
  
shuttle. Sonic ran as fast as he could to get on board.  
  
"Green light for launch! Primary ignition on!" the computer   
  
announced as the engines fired up. "Beginning lift-off count-down! 10,   
  
9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,"  
  
The shuttle started lifting off the ground and into the air.   
  
"Shuttle lift-off!"  
  
Sonic and the others sat tight in their seats until they cleared   
  
the atmosphere. Omochao broadcasted over the intercom.  
  
"Attention, attention! We have cleared the atmosphere and can now   
  
remove safety belts. We shall be arriving at our destination shortly.   
  
That is all!"  
  
Things were silent for a few moments, until Knux spoke up.  
  
"THAT is ALL? For cryin out loud, we're in space, in a shuttle,   
  
and WHO THE HECK IS DRIVING THIS CRAZY THING?!"  
  
"Calm down, George," Sonic called sarcasticly. "I mean, geez, be   
  
glad we even got this far!"  
  
"I think the King of the Ghosts spooked him!" Sonia teased.  
  
"It did not! Now I'm gonna go see who's piloting this shuttle,"   
  
Knux said, taking off his belt. "AAAAAA!!!!!"  
  
He started floating. "WHAT the heck?!"  
  
"We're in SPACE, dummy. There's no GRAVITY!" Sonic rolled his   
  
eyes.  
  
"Uhhh, I knew that!" Knux said.  
  
"RIIIGHT," the girls groaned.  
  
Sonic and Sonia slowly made their way towards the cockpit.  
  
"Hello?" Sonic called. Omochao spotted them and flew up.  
  
"Sonic, you shouldn't be here, this place is off-limits," Omochao   
  
stated.  
  
"No. Omochao, let them come in..." a voice said.  
  
"Who's there?" Sonic called.  
  
From the chair, a hand raised to silence them.  
  
Knux and the others slowly appeared at the door.  
  
"Please, do not ask any questions yet. Sonic, I have a message   
  
for you and the others," the voice said. The hand tapped on a console,   
  
activating a holographic image of the fox girl.  
  
"HEY! She was with Manic and that bat-girl when they stole the   
  
emerald!!!" Knux telled, but everyone tackled him to shut him up.  
  
"If you are recieving this message, it's because I have fallen   
  
in the line of duty. I am Agent Sabre Prower, from the year 3265. I   
  
am a time traveller, sent by the Council to protect the prophecied   
  
children to save our world. I cannot reveal too much, but I have a   
  
message for all of you. Sonic, Sonia, your brother Manic did not have   
  
much of a choice when he stole the emerald with Rouge and myself. We   
  
all acted as spies to gain Eggman's trust. Rouge saw the emerald as an   
  
added bonus, but I allowed her to do so, to gain the attention of   
  
Knuckles the Echidna, so that he would contact the rest of the Sonic   
  
Underground, and come back here. Sonic, Manic was needed to awaken   
  
Project: Shadow. I had protected Manic since he was adopted by Guild   
  
Master Farrell, and even taught him the basics he needed to know to   
  
decipher Gerald Robotnik's notes to awaken Shadow. Sonic, do NOT   
  
seek revenge upon Shadow. You and he are the key to our future. He   
  
is not evil, only confused. To Shalita, I know this may be hard,  
  
but do NOT be mad at Shadow. I know he tried to kill you, but you   
  
are our last hope to set him upon the right path. Continue your   
  
research on Project Shadow, and you will soon learn the truth about   
  
his past. Thank you all, for taking the time to listen to me, and good   
  
luck on your mission. You all are our last hope."  
  
The hologram flickered off, leaving everyone stunned.  
  
"Well...it explains a lot..." Knuckles said quietly.  
  
"Yeah..." Sonic agreed.  
  
The chair rotated around, showing a tearful Manic.  
  
The group was quiet for a moment, until Sonic and Sonia ran to   
  
him, giving him a big hug.  
  
"Hey bro, it'll be okay!" Sonia said soothingly.  
  
"Yeah...." Sonic added.  
  
"I couldn't save her, you guys," he cried.  
  
"How did she die?" a voice asked quietly.  
  
The rest of the group backed up from the person who asked.  
  
Tails.  
  
"Shadow shot her, in grief..." Manic sniffled.  
  
"I see...." Tails said, bowing his head.  
  
"Tails, you okay?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Hey, you don't suppose Sabre-" Knuckles started.  
  
"Shut up, Knux. I don't wanna think about the future now..."   
  
Tails whined.  
  
A beep sounded, and Manic pressed a button.  
  
"We're approaching the space colony," Manic announced.  
  
Everyone ran to a window to get a look at the station. There were   
  
a lot of meteors floating about from where the half of the space   
  
station cloak broke open.  
  
"So THIS is the space colony where Eggman is hiding," Sonic said   
  
in awe.  
  
Manic, also staring, didn't see the huge meteor shooting under   
  
the shuttle. It skimmed the surface, boucing off of it.  
  
"WHAT the-?!" Sonic yelped.  
  
"Is everyone alright?" Tails called. "We should be landing soon!"  
  
Knuckles looked out the window.  
  
"Oh no! The hatch door is open!" he gasped. He became supicious,   
  
as a green piece of something floated by.  
  
"Don't sweat it, Knuckles! The only thing in the cargo bay are   
  
those Master Emeralds!" Sonic announced.  
  
"What do you MEAN 'Don't sweat it'?!" Knux yelled angrily, running   
  
for the controls. "Land the shuttle and let me off NOW!"  
  
"Hey, knock it off Knuckles!" Sonic yelped as Knuckles pressed   
  
some buttons. "You're going crash the thing if you keep THAT up! OH   
  
NO!!!! DON'T TOUCH THAT LEVER!!!!!"  
  
The shuttle started whirling about, with everyone screaming.  
  
Chapter 31: "Eternal Engine"  
  
Inside the Space Colony ARK  
  
3:49 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 2 hours, 11 minutes  
  
Sonic groaned as he walked down the halls of the station. "What's   
  
up with that knucklehead anyway?! Tryin to take over the shuttle...I   
  
thought we were toast for sure!"  
  
Sonic looked around. Guess who went missing. "Huh? Where did he   
  
go NOW?" he groaned.  
  
"Looks like he bailed," Tails said.  
  
"This place looks deserted. Dusty too," Amy announced, looking   
  
around.  
  
"This place was shut down about 50 years ago, because of a terrible   
  
accident," Tails said, digging around in the cockpit of his Tornado   
  
Walker. "The first spherical bernoulli space colony, called ARK. When   
  
it was operational, it was the most advanced reseach center of its   
  
kind. But looking at it now-"  
  
"-now it's an abandoned ARK, wouldn't you say?" Amy finished for   
  
him.  
  
"There's not much time before Eggman fires that weapon again,"   
  
Sonic said. "We got to hurry. We must find the cannon and destroy it!"  
  
"Yeah!" Tails agreed, pulling up a console on his on-board   
  
computer, and opeing a box. A map appeared. "Someone designed that   
  
weapon to be impenitrable from outside attack. It's defense shields are   
  
super strong, so we have to find a way to destroy it and get inside-"  
  
"-isn't that a Chaos Emerald?" Amy interupted, poining inside   
  
the box.  
  
"It looks like it, doesn't it? But in fact, its a fake one I   
  
created after researching the REAL emerald. It has the same wave-legnths   
  
and properties, but its less powerful than the real one. It's designed   
  
to reverse the energy field inside the chaos emeralds and blow up,"   
  
Tails continued, handing the fake emerald to Sonic. "It looks SO real,   
  
even a machine can't tell the difference. I'll find the power supply   
  
and destroy it. Sonic, you find the Control Room, okay?"  
  
"So the plan is, we'll switch the Chaos Emeralds when the machine   
  
has stopped, right?" Sonic recapped, taking off with Tails, leaving   
  
the others behind.  
  
"I HATE you!" Amy yelled at the boys. "You guys ALWAYS leave me   
  
behind, and have ALL the fun!!!"  
  
Shalita put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "That's okay, Amy. You can   
  
accompany us. We're gonna access a terminal and see what info we can   
  
dig up on Shadow!"  
  
Manic hacked into the system, pulling up available data on   
  
Project Shadow.  
  
"Let's look at this stage of progress, the embryo retrival,"   
  
Shalita said, pointing to a date on the screen. Manic brought up a   
  
text file.  
  
"Guys, look at this," Shalita said. "Apparrently, Professor Gerald   
  
had travelled forward to the year 3218, to pose as a surgeon. He was   
  
looking for a soon-to-be mother that would need surgury for embryo   
  
removal, due to crowding if more than a number of children were   
  
concieved at the same time. He found one and was sucessful in bringing   
  
back the specimen, where Shadow was grown and born."  
  
"So what does this mean?" Manic asked.  
  
"Dunno. Looks like we may have to do a medical history check,   
  
when we get back to our time," Shalita said.  
  
Chapter 32: "Last Piece of the Master Emerald"  
  
Cannon Control Room  
  
3:49 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 2 hours, 11 minutes  
  
Meanwhile, Rouge was doing a little investigating of her own,   
  
but she couldn't get access to the computer files...  
  
She radioed in to Dr. Robotnik.  
  
"Hi Doctor, how's it going? ...What?! What do you MEAN they   
  
escaped? ...Well, that's okay. I will go after them myself! Can you   
  
tell me the password for the space colony control? ..."  
  
She turned off her radio. "Hmph! Tricking that old doctor is JUST   
  
too easy! Okay, it's time to get to work!"  
  
She tapped into the console. "The password is MA-RI-A."  
  
She stopped to think. "Maria, hmm? I've heard that name SOMEWHERE   
  
before...oh well!"  
  
She looked back towards the screen. "This is it! Reseach Project:   
  
Shadow; the Ultimate Lifeform. Let's see now..."  
  
The picture on the right took Rouge by suprise. "What in the   
  
world is THIS? This can't be right! Just what IS Shadow ANYWAY?"  
  
The console beeped, alerting of Chaos energy outside the ARK.  
  
"Hmm! Looks like I'll just take the last pieces of the Master   
  
Emerald!"  
  
  
  
Outside Space Colony ARK  
  
4:18 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 1 hour, 42 minutes  
  
Knuckles groaned as he walked around the area. Meteorites flew   
  
off everywhere. He had better hurry to find the last pieces in this area.   
  
He had already rounded up most of the others. He wore the air necklace   
  
to give him oxygen while he was outside.  
  
Meanwhile, Rouge was outside, a shard in her hands. She herself   
  
wore an oxygen mask, as the atmostphere was thin here. She leaped into   
  
the air and glided off to find the next shard.  
  
Knux found his first shard when he spotted her in the air.  
  
"What's SHE doing here?" he growled. He better find the next   
  
piece fast.  
  
Rouge grabbed another piece floating in the air when she looked   
  
down and saw him. "Well well well, the game's a-foot!" she grinned.  
  
Knux found another piece when SHE landed.  
  
"Long time, no see, Treasure Hunter. Did you find MY emeralds?"   
  
she grinned.  
  
"THAT's a good one! YOUR emeralds? Talking to you is a waste of   
  
time!" Knux growled.  
  
They got in a fighting stance.  
  
"Very well! If that's how you want to play, I will TAKE it from   
  
you!" she announced.  
  
"Not if I can help it!" Knux yelled, nailing her right off the   
  
back with a Hammer Punch.  
  
"AGH!" she yelped, and returned the favor with a Hip Drop.  
  
"Oof!" he groaned, getting up. That's it, time to get SERIOUS.  
  
He raised his hand, and concentrated. Using the power of the   
  
Master Emerald, he called upon an arrow of sound and electricity.  
  
"THUNDER ARROW!!!" he cried, and a bolt rained down on Rouge.  
  
"ARGH! NOW you made me MAD!!!" she yelled. "Here I come! GET   
  
READY! BLACK WAVE!!!!" she cried, and sent out a sonic wave.  
  
"ARGH!" Knux yelped, getting caught in the wave. "That's IT!   
  
I had enough! POWER FLASH!!"  
  
Calling on the power of the emerald, a bright light blinded   
  
Rouge momentarily, giving Knux the moment he needed to attack.  
  
"AAAAARRRGH!!!! Now I mean BUSINESS!!!" she yelled. She   
  
roundhoused him unexpectedly, knocking him senseless. He stumbled,   
  
falling against a switch. The floor suddenly opened, and the rising   
  
heat sent the two flying in the air. Knux regained his senses, and   
  
climbed to a catwalk where Rouge had taken shelter at.  
  
"Time to get this over with," he growled, wiping blood from   
  
his lip.  
  
Both pulled out all the stops and really gave it all they got.   
  
Knux was a master of the martial arts, and Rouge was a good fighter   
  
herself as they kicked, boxed, and fought hard. Rouge grabbed Knux   
  
in a head-lock for a moment.  
  
"So how do you like how I fight?" she grinned.  
  
"You're good..." Knux grumbled, then flipped her over his   
  
head. "But I'M BETTER!"  
  
Rouge landed on the catwalk on her back, and moaned. "This   
  
can't be true...I never lose..."  
  
Knux glared at her as she stumbled to her feet, panting. "Get   
  
away from MY emeralds!" he growled.  
  
Rouge was panting as well. They glared at each other a moment.  
  
"Stop fooling around, and give me back MY EMERALDS!" they both   
  
screamed at each other.  
  
"What are you babbling about?!" Rouge yelled. "You call   
  
yourself a hunter, attacking a LADY? SHAME ON YOU!"  
  
"What kind of a lady goes around stealing gems ANYWAY?" Knux   
  
growled.  
  
"Those belong to me-!" Rouge started to say, walking forward,   
  
but the heel of her boot caught the edge og the catwalk and she   
  
slipped. "Whoa!!!"  
  
She started to fall. "AAAAAAAA!!!!!"  
  
She closed her eyes, about to become a smear on the floor, when   
  
something grabbed her hand. She opened her eyes and looked up. "What   
  
in the world..?"  
  
Knuckles had caught her before she had fallen too far, and   
  
pulled her up. As he helped her up, she looked at him. He was looking   
  
at her. Their eyes met. The stared at each other for a moment as they   
  
stood up, holding each other's hand.  
  
Before the moment got too far, Rouge yanked her hand away.   
  
"Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me!"  
  
"Is that how you say 'Thanks' to someone who just saved your   
  
life?" Knux grumbled.  
  
Rouge coughed a fake laugh. "Saving my life! Don't think I owe   
  
you one!" She grinned as she added. "You just wanted to hold my hand,   
  
didn't you?"  
  
She grinned even more as she sang out. "THAT'S why you saved   
  
me. You're such a creep!"  
  
Knuckles shook his head. If that's how she wanted to play-  
  
"This isn't a joke, you know! Think what you want, Bat Girl,   
  
I was saving the Master Emerald!"  
  
Rouge sighed. "No matter WHAT you say, it SOUNDS crazy."  
  
Knux was taken by suprise as emerald shards fell to his feet.   
  
He looked up. "Wha-?"  
  
"Fine, then JUST take them. They stink like echidnas do!" she   
  
said.  
  
Knux started scooping all the shards together. "If THAT'S what   
  
you thought, you should of given them back in the FIRST place!"  
  
He brought all the pieces of the emerald back together, restoring   
  
the Master Emerald. He inspected to make sure it was all together.   
  
"Finally!" he sighed. This seach was finally over.  
  
"What?" Rouge demanded, looking away.  
  
Knux rolled his eyes. This was gonna be hard. "I'm sorry....  
  
if I hurt you..."  
  
Grabbing the Master Emerald, he ran off.  
  
Rouge folded her arms, looking up. "WE should get going..."  
  
She started to run off, but stopped, looking back. If it wasn't   
  
obvious already, Rouge admired Knux for his strong spirit.  
  
Chapter 33: "Eggman's Plan"  
  
Inside the pryamid  
  
5:02 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 58 minutes  
  
Robotnik growled, looking at the security camera footage.   
  
"What's Rouge up to, anyway?"  
  
He looked at the readings on the map of the ARK. "This is strange.   
  
This is showing energy readings from two SEPERATE chaos emeralds!"  
  
Robotnik whirled around. "Did they really think that they could   
  
trick me with that FAKE emerald?"  
  
Shadow walked over towards the transporter.  
  
"Wait!" Robotnik called. "Shadow, I'M the one who should be   
  
telling them the end is near, not you!"  
  
Robotnik approached the transporter. "Now is the time to end this   
  
long drawn out battle, and take my place in history as the ultimate   
  
genius!"  
  
He looked at Shadow. "If something happens to me, I'm counting on   
  
you to finish the job! Hurry, the time for attack draws near. It's   
  
now or NEVER!"  
  
Back in the Research lab, Amy was grumbling as she paced around.  
  
"Amy, would you QUIT that? Come on, we gotta go!" Shalita called   
  
as she ran off with the others. Amy growled.  
  
"Darn! Why do they always leave a sweet innocent little girl   
  
like me alone?!"  
  
"Well well well, young lady," a voice said behind her. Amy whirled   
  
to face Robotnik, who pulled a gun out at her. "Is there something I   
  
can HELP you with?"  
  
"Dr. Eggman!" she shrieked.  
  
"If you value your life, you will tell me where Sonic and   
  
Tails are..."  
  
Colony Central Control Room  
  
5:15 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 45 minutes  
  
"Tails, I found the control room," Sonic radioed.  
  
"Great, I'm destroying the power generator now..." Tails radioed   
  
back.  
  
Sonic approached the console, with the fake emerald in hand.  
  
"Okay, Sonic! Now put that emerald-"  
  
An interuption over the radio cut Tails off. "Ahem! Tails, Tell   
  
Sonic to meet you back at the reseach facility immeditely!"  
  
"Sonic! Amy is-" Tails started to say, but his radio died.  
  
"I-I didn't get that Tails!" Sonic radioed back. "What happened   
  
to Amy? TAILS?!"  
  
The radio was dead. Sonic stood in silence, looking at Omochao,   
  
who was beside him.  
  
On the other end of the ARK, Shalita, Manic, and Sonia were all   
  
listening as the radio went dead.  
  
"We're in deep trouble," Shalita said.  
  
"Amy's always asking for trouble. Now look what happened!" Sonia   
  
griped.  
  
"Okay, let's not panic. We need to get to the reseach lab, now!"   
  
Manic said.  
  
"Right!"  
  
Chapter 34: "Sonic in Trouble"  
  
Inside Space Colony ARK  
  
5:19 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 41 minutes  
  
Sonic ran down the halls as fast as he could, with Robotnik   
  
taunting him over the intercomm.  
  
"Hahahahaha!!!! Sonic, come here if you want to save her life!"  
  
Sonic rounded the corner and gasped.  
  
"No....it can't be!" Sonic yelped. In front of him was a water   
  
monster. One he reconized from so long ago.  
  
"No! It can't be Chaos! It's impossible!" he yelped, backing up.   
  
Chaos was a water demon that possessed Shalita so long ago. He had to   
  
fight her, and even didn't know her until his past was told.  
  
He backed up, then growled. "You're not REAL! You're a robotic   
  
FAKE!!!"  
  
"It's an old reseach project!" Omochao announced. "Don't let it   
  
fool you!"  
  
Sonic nodded and spindashed into it. He wasn't about to let   
  
something so fake get to him. It destroyed immeditely.  
  
"What are you DOING?!" Robotnik yelled. "Sonic, there's NO   
  
TIME for GAMES!"  
  
"Shut up and leave me alone," Sonic grumbled as he ran through   
  
the halls. He heard crying in the nearby hall.  
  
"WHAT?!" he yelped, looking.  
  
In the hall, surrounded by these water monsters, were the   
  
chao!  
  
"CHAIMA!!!" Sonic cried, attacking the monsters.  
  
"SONIC! I found you!" he cried, hugging him.  
  
"More like I found YOU. What are you guys DOING here?" Sonic   
  
gasped, hugging back.  
  
"We had to find you! We were worried!" Chaima said.  
  
"Well come on. Amy's in danger, and we gotta find her!" Sonic   
  
said.  
  
"Amy's in DANGER?!" Pucha yelped. "Let's go!"  
  
"YOU"RE TOO SLOW!!!" Robotnik yelled. "Sonic, if you don't come   
  
here, she WILL die!!!"  
  
"I'M COMING!!!!" Sonic yelled. "Come on, guys."  
  
They ran down the halls until they came into the next room.   
  
They were on a platform...outside!  
  
The doors slammed shut behind them as alarms went off.   
  
"Emergency! Emergency!"  
  
"Well done, Sonic!" Robotnik laughed. "But you'll never leave   
  
THIS room alive!"  
  
"Is that a fact?!" Chaima yelled. "There's nothing out here!"  
  
Chaima heard Sonic stumble and he whirled. Sonic collasped   
  
against a railing, gasping for air.  
  
"Oh no! The air in here is too thin for Sonic!!!" Pucha wailed.  
  
"No kidding!" Chaima gasped. "We chao can handle it, but Sonic   
  
can't! We need to get him outta here, NOW!"  
  
Sonic struggled for the tiniest bit of air as Chaima and the   
  
others helped Sonic up. He leaned on them, just concetrating on trying   
  
to breathe.  
  
Sonic collasped again before they made it to the doorway.  
  
"Someone go open the door, I'll help Sonic!" Chaima said, trying   
  
to pick Sonic up. "Sonic, please, keep trying! You can't die now, you   
  
just can't!"  
  
Sonic couldn't even hear him now, he was so lost from the   
  
surface of life. His strength was gone. The situation was becoming   
  
hopeless. Why not die now, end the pain and suffering...  
  
"GET THE DOOR OPEN!!!" Chaima cried hystericly. "He stopped   
  
BREATHING!!!!"  
  
"I got it! Get in, now!!" Pucha cried, as she helped Chaima   
  
drag Sonic inside.  
  
Shalita and the others saw the chao bring Sonic inside.  
  
"SONIC!" she cried, running to his side. "NO!"  
  
"Shalita, will he be okay?!" Chaima cried.  
  
Shalita looked at Chaima soberly. "I don't know. His body is   
  
still alive because of the energy inside him, but we still got to   
  
revive him, or he'll become nothing but a living vegitable," Shalita   
  
said, then proceeded to cuff him.  
  
"Come on...breathe Sonic!" she gasped, giving him more air.  
  
Sonic suddenly gasped, for air, coughing.  
  
"Sonic, wake up, you need to go save Amy!" Shalita cried.  
  
Sonic opened his eyes. "Shal....?"  
  
He sat up, head bowed. "Thank you, Shal, Chaima, everyone. For a   
  
moment, I wanted to die...to end all this pain...but when I tried,   
  
I was trapped. Trapped inside my own body. You guys....rescued me   
  
from a mistake I tried to make...I have to save everyone...this...  
  
this is why I'm still here. If I try to die...I won't go where you   
  
guys will go when you die...I'll be trapped in a lifeless body, forever   
  
in pain, forever unable to live..."  
  
Shalita hugged him. "Just don't do that again!"  
  
"I promise. Now come on, let's save Amy!" Sonic said, standing   
  
up.  
  
Chapter 35: "Tails VS. Robotnik"  
  
Research Lab  
  
5:27 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 33 minutes  
  
Tails, Amy, and Robotnik looked up as they saw the door open.   
  
Standing there was Sonic, glaring at Robotnik, ready to attack.   
  
Robotnik held the gun to Amy's head as a reminder of who's in charge   
  
now.  
  
"Let's take care of business first, shall we Sonic? Hand over   
  
the Chaos Emerald, SLOWLY, and THEN we'll talk about your girlfriend.   
  
That is, if you REALLY cared for her..."  
  
Sonic looked at the emerald in his hand.   
  
Handing over the fake emerald? I can kill two birds with one   
  
stone! Sonic thought. looking at Tails. Tails nodded, biting his   
  
lip. This was gonna be easier than they thought...  
  
"Put the emerald down there and BACK OFF," Robotnik growled,   
  
pointing to a spot on the floor.  
  
Sonic slowly approached the area.  
  
"You've turned into a BIG-TIME villian, doctor!" Sonic smirked,   
  
with a sarcastic tone. As he apprached the spot, a tube fell around   
  
the hedgehog.  
  
Everyone gasped, while Robotnik laughed.  
  
"Whoa!" Sonic gasped. No...NO! Not this! Anything but the   
  
Robotisizer!!!  
  
"No....NO!" Tails yelped.  
  
"Oh please. Robotisization is too good for Sonic. We all know   
  
what happens if Sonic dies," Robotnik said. "You thought you could   
  
trick me with that fake emerald, didn't you?!"  
  
"So...how did you know it wasn't the real one?" Tails asked.  
  
"TAILS!!!!!!!!!!" Sonic yelled. He knew what the doc was doing.  
  
"Because you just told me, Fox-Boy," Robotnik laughed. He looked   
  
back to Sonic. "Now...for a little Space Ride! When the capsule clears   
  
the space colony, BAM!"  
  
Sonic looked at Robotnik in horror. He wasn't to be robotisized,   
  
he was to be blown away!!! He looked at Tails.  
  
"I'm counting on you Tails..." Sonic whispered. He looked at   
  
Amy. "Amy...take care of yourself..."  
  
"Farewell...Sonic the Hedgehog!" Robotnik called, pressing a   
  
button. The capsule ejected, sending Sonic into space.  
  
"Sonic!" Amy yelped, looking out the window. Tails joined her to   
  
watch.  
  
Inside the capsule, Sonic held the fake emerald in his hands.  
  
"It has the same wave-legnths and properties but is less powerful   
  
than the real one," Sonic recalled Tails' words. "The SAME wave-legnths   
  
and properties! But...can I do this...?"  
  
Inside the lab, the three saw the capsule blow up.  
  
"Farewell...my admirable adversery!" Robotnik laughed.  
  
"....SONIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Amy cried, pressing her hand   
  
against the window, and started to sob.  
  
Robotnik turned to Tails, who was still staring out the window   
  
in disbelief. "Now we have some unfinished business to take care of.   
  
If you give me the real emerald, I will release you BOTH! You have my   
  
promise!"  
  
Tails never heard the doctor's empty promise. "Sonic..." he   
  
whispered.  
  
"Huh?" Robotnik called.  
  
Tails looked at Robotnik. "Sonic's asked me for the first time   
  
to do something for him! I WON'T let him down. I WON'T GIVE UP!!!" he   
  
yelled, charging at Robotnik.  
  
"You're no match for me, you sweet little fox!!!" Robotnik   
  
yelped, somewhat in suprise at Tails' reaction.  
  
Chapter 36: "The Mystery of Shadow"  
  
Central room  
  
5:38 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 21 minutes, 7 seconds  
  
Shadow watched from a window as the capsule exploded.  
  
"I guess he was just a regular hedgehog after all..." he   
  
murmured.  
  
Outside Space Colony ARK  
  
Knux wandered inside the gate-room, when he stopped.  
  
"I feel some strange energy," he murmured.  
  
A blast of light and energy blinded him for a moment before it   
  
died away. He looked to see Sonic laying on the floor, breathing heavily.  
  
"Hey Sonic!" Knux called, running to him. He watched as Sonic   
  
slowly stood on his feet, swaying heavily. Knux helped to steady him.  
  
"Whoa...I wasn't sure if I could pull that one off. Somehow I   
  
managed to use the Chaos Control..."  
  
"..Chaos Control...?" Knux asked, never hearing the term before.   
  
Sonic lost his balanced and nearly slumped on Knux. He regained his   
  
balance and stood up.  
  
"Are you okay?" Knux asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm worried about Tails and Amy," Sonic said, not answering   
  
Knux's last question. "I hate to ask, but could you help them?"  
  
Sonic held up the fake emerald. "This is our last chance...I got   
  
it! Before the cannon fires, I'll slam-dunk it in there!"  
  
"Sonic, wait!" Knux said, and took off his air necklace. "Take   
  
this. You'll need it to survive in that thin air outside..."  
  
Sonic took it and put it on, feeling the difference in oxygen   
  
levels right away. "Thanks Knux, I needed it."  
  
"Good luck, Sonic!" Knux called as Sonic ran off.  
  
Research Lab  
  
Tails stood over Robotnik, who was defeated. Tails had dueled   
  
Robotnik to the end and won.  
  
"Take that, Eggman.." he said, half-heartedly, and wandered   
  
away. He didn't see Robotnik grab the emerald that Tails dropped...  
  
Central Control Room  
  
Meanwhile, Rouge stood in the control room, gazing at her prize.  
  
"Ledgend has it that when all 7 Chaos Emeralds are collected,   
  
the power creates a miracle! I have 6 of them! They're mine! All mine!"   
  
Rouge laughed.  
  
"I don't think so!" a voice said from behind her.   
  
Rouge whirled around. "Shadow!"  
  
"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh? Or was it a   
  
direct order from the PRESEDENT? NOW I know who you are!!! You're that   
  
government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you?!" Shadow accused.  
  
"So you did your homework. Is that it? I would say that's an   
  
invasion of privacy!" Rouge smirked.  
  
"I could say the same thing about you!" Shadow shot back.  
  
"Hmph! Looks like things aren't quite going your way! But since   
  
my job is done, I thought it was time to take what's mine and get   
  
out of this place."  
  
"You are one PATHETIC creature!" Shadow sneered.  
  
"Hmm...look who's talking," Rouge said. "What about you?"  
  
Rouge leaped down, holding documents in her hands. "Here are the   
  
results of the research project called the Ultimate Lifeform. But if   
  
this picture is of the real ultimate lifeform, named Shadow...then   
  
exactly who...or WHAT...is standing in front of me?"  
  
Shadow stood in silence for a moment. What was THIS?  
  
His radio beeped. "This is Dr. Eggman. I have found all seven   
  
Chaos Emeralds. Shadow, someone is trying to enter the Eclipes Cannon.   
  
There's not much time left before the cannon fires again. Can you get   
  
over there?"  
  
Shadow glared at Rouge. "If you want to live, leave the Chaos   
  
Emeralds where they are. The fake emerald is good enough for you!"  
  
"Do you actually believe that you're the REAL Shadow?" Rouge   
  
asked.  
  
"No doubt!" Shadow said.  
  
"Even your memories might not be real, you know?" Rouge added.  
  
"Even if my memories are NOT real, it's still me, Shadow!" Shadow   
  
said, now starting to doubt himself. "And I will forfill my promise   
  
to Maria. That's the only thing that matters to me now..."  
  
"Listen to her, Shadow!" a voice cried. Shadow looked up to see   
  
Shalita coming his way.  
  
"You.." Shadow said.  
  
"Shadow, I have reason to believe you may NOT be who you think   
  
you are, as Rouge first stated," Shalita said.  
  
"Are you a spy too? Is that why you play with my heart that is   
  
heavy with grief. Haven't you two done ENOUGH damage?" Shadow growled.   
  
"I hope you're satisfied, but I guarintee you, before this is over,   
  
you will all die."  
  
"Wait, SHADOW!!" Shalita yelled as he pushed past her. "It's not   
  
what you think!"  
  
Rouge looked at Shalita. "What's going on here anyway?"  
  
"Long story...so you're one of the good guys?" Shalita asked.  
  
"Better believe it. So what information do you have on Shadow?"  
  
"Only that he's very much real as you and me are. Gerald   
  
cheated on the final outcome," Shalita said.  
  
"The final-ohhhhh!" Rouge said. It was all starting to make   
  
sense...somewhat.  
  
Shalita ran after Shadow. "Shadow! Shadow, you CAN'T do this!"  
  
Shadow glared back. "When do you ever learn to QUIT, Runt?! Why   
  
don't you just go back to the blue hedgehog and leave me be???"  
  
"Why don't you ask Sonic yourself??" Shalita grumbled, walking   
  
away. Shadow stopped. What does THAT mean?  
  
Chapter 37: "Final Chase"  
  
Outside Space Colony ARK  
  
5:54 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 5 minutes, 44 seconds  
  
Sonic stood on the runway that led to the Eclipes Cannon when he   
  
heard someone approach him.  
  
"You never cease to suprise me, blue hedgehog," Shadow said,   
  
walking beside him. "I thought that capsule you were in exploded in   
  
space."  
  
"You know, what can I say? I die hard!" Sonic grinned. Sonic held   
  
up his fake emerald. "You actually saved me, you know!"  
  
They took off on a trot. "It WAS a Chaos Emerald, wasn't it?   
  
But, there's no way you could of activated the Chaos Control using an   
  
emerald that's fake! So, there's more to you than just looking like   
  
me...what ARE you anyway??"  
  
"What you see is what you get. Just a guy who loves adventure.   
  
I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic grinned.  
  
The two took off running.  
  
"I see. But you know I can't let you live! Your adventuring   
  
days are coming to an end!" Shadow said. "Before this is over, I'll   
  
show you the true power of CHAOS CONTROL!"  
  
Shadow lashed out first, tackling Sonic.  
  
"Shadow! This might sound dumb, but I don't want to hurt you!   
  
Don't make me do this!" he yelled, shoving Shadow off.  
  
"Are you weak at heart? How is it that you can care so much for   
  
everything?" Shadow yelled. "The only things I ever cared about have   
  
hurt me!"  
  
"Is this what's it's about? Revenge on those who have hurt   
  
you? Shadow, there's more to life than this!" Sonic growled, throwing   
  
a punch to Shadow and making a dash for the cannon.  
  
"THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CHAOS CONTROL!!!" Shadow screamed, and   
  
appeared ahead of Sonic "You will NEVER understand how I feel!   
  
After all, Shalita loves YOU, doesn't she?!"  
  
"What does Shalita have to do with anything?!" Sonic yelped,   
  
spindashing at Shadow.  
  
"Only that just when I thought I started caring for the little   
  
runt, I found you kissing her!" Shadow yelled.  
  
"When was THIS?!" Sonic growled, attacking Shadow again.  
  
This time the hit connected.  
  
"Ugh...that hurt..." he grumbled. "Last week."  
  
"Last week- so THAT'S why Shalita was acting so weird!" Sonic   
  
gasped. He spindashed Shadow.  
  
"Ugh, you're better than I thought. What do you MEAN she was   
  
'acting weird'?"  
  
"I mean she and I broke up that night, it's like she had her   
  
mind on something else....or SOMEONE else!" Sonic stared at Shadow.   
  
"So THAT'S why she was following you all this time!"  
  
He attacked Shadow one last time, to knock him down.  
  
Shadow groaned, falling to the floor. "I can't believe...I   
  
lost...I am...the ultimate life..." he whispered.  
  
"Game over, Shadow!" Sonic announced. "I'm out of here. I have   
  
a world to save. But I suggest rethinking about what your problem with   
  
Shalita is before you try to puch her off anymore cliffs."  
  
Shadow flinched. Sonic just knocked a blow to his concence.  
  
ARK: Abandoned Lab  
  
5:58 P.M.  
  
Cannon Countdown: 1 minute, 33 seconds  
  
Tails sat next to Amy sadly, calling softly on the radio.   
  
"Sonic...I did it..."  
  
Both of them bowed their heads for a moment of silence, when   
  
the radio beeped. Everyone looked at Tails, who looked at his radio   
  
and clicked it on.  
  
"Awsome job, Tails!" came Sonic's voice over the radio.   
  
Everyone gasped.  
  
"SONIC!!!!" Tails yelped in suprise.  
  
"EH?!" Amy gasped in delight.  
  
"Look outside!" Sonic said, and everyone ran to the window "OH!"   
  
Amy squeeled.  
  
Colony Control Room  
  
5:59 P.M.  
  
Cannon countdown: 40 seconds  
  
"Hahahahaha!!!!" Robotnik laughed, holding the last Chaos   
  
Emerald. "This completes my plan to take over the world!"  
  
He put in the emerald. "Now begins the era of the empire of   
  
Eggman!"  
  
His laughter rang out through the control room, never noticing   
  
the wanring signs flash "DANGER!"  
  
Outside, the cannon opened out, about to fire, when it suddenly   
  
exploded. Hanging from an attenna was Sonic himself. He grinned and   
  
gave the thumbs up to Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Manic, Sonia, Shalita,   
  
Chaima, Pucha, Channa and Charika. Everyone cheered. The world was   
  
safe at last.  
  
TO BE CONCLUDED IN "Wishes Are Eternal" 


	4. Wishes Are Eternal

"Wishes Are Eternal"  
  
written by Shayne Thames  
  
Sonic and related characters © and ™ SEGA  
  
Shalita and related characters © Star Dreams Entertainment  
  
Chapter 38: "The Beginning of the End"  
  
Robotnik stared at the screen in disbelief, growling.  
  
"Argh! What's going on? Why doesn't the cannon FIRE?! What...what's   
  
happening here?!"  
  
On the screen a picture of a man in chains showed on the screen.   
  
Robotnik stared. "It's...it's my grandfather...Gerald Robotnik!"  
  
Sonic and Knux ran into another room when they heard a loud noise   
  
and a rumble.  
  
"What's that-that VIBRATION?!" Knux asked.  
  
"Wait!" Sonic hushed. "Someone is coming!"  
  
Rouge landed in front of them.  
  
"YOU..." Knux growled. "You haven't given up YET?"  
  
Rouge shook her head, sighing. "No..it's all over for us..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Knux asked.  
  
"I just recieved a message from my boss...this space colony   
  
ARK...is currently approaching the Earth...at an incredible velocity...  
  
it'll...probably...will impact Earth..." Rouge said slowly, bowing her   
  
head.  
  
Knuckles looked up, something catching his eye.  
  
"What's that on the screen?" he pointed. They all looked up to   
  
see an old video footage of Gerald Robotnik on the screen.  
  
Back on Earth, in San Francisco and all over the world, people   
  
were watching the same video footage as Gerald Robotnik spoke.  
  
"This is a death sentance for every human being on Earth. If my   
  
calculations are correct, the space colony ARK will impact the Earth in   
  
27 minutes, 53 seconds. All of you will be destroyed, along with your   
  
beloved planet Earth," Professor Gerald stated.  
  
Everyone in the world started falling apart. People screamed in   
  
terror as they looked outside and saw the gigantic firefill heading   
  
towards Earth. Religious followers fell to their knees and prayed to   
  
their respectful gods for forgivness and protection, some seeing this   
  
as Judgement Day for all.  
  
In San Fransisco, a man named Charlie, who had recently proposed   
  
to his girlfriend, watched the portible telivision screen as he at at   
  
an outdoor cafe, and buried his head in his arms in grief as his   
  
girlfriend tried to comfort him, as people around him screamed in   
  
terror.  
  
A little girl hugged her parents in terror as she pointed to the   
  
scary fireball.  
  
  
  
Back on the ARK, everyone stared at the TV screen in horror.  
  
"I plan to give you a taste of my revenge," Gerald continued.   
  
"-once all the 7 Chaos Emeralds are collected. Once I initiate this   
  
program, it cannot be disabled. All of you UNGRATEFUL humans who took   
  
everything away from me will feel MY loss and dispair!"  
  
All was silent a moment until a man offscreen shouted to Gerald.  
  
"Is there anything else you want to say?!"  
  
"No," came the reply.  
  
"Ready-!" came the voice again, and it was realized that this is   
  
footage of Gerald Robotnik's execution. There was a bright flash, then   
  
the film started over.  
  
"What's going on here?!" Amy cried. "Who is that?!"  
  
"I plan to give you a taste of my revenge-"  
  
"Hey-" Knuckles interupted. "The vibrations are getting worse!"  
  
"That was Professor Gerald Robotnik, one of the greatest   
  
scientific geniuses in the world, and my grandfather!" Robotnik said,   
  
walking in.  
  
"What?!" Knux growled, turning around. "I KNEW you were behind   
  
all this! Stop it RIGHT now, or else-"  
  
Robotnik shook his head. "I'd of done this a LONG time ago if I   
  
had the chance," Robotnik said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked, stepping forward. Robotnik   
  
growled.  
  
"You're pretty persistant for a hedgehog aren't you? You're   
  
still alive, huh?"  
  
"Hah! Just letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle on the way over   
  
here was more dangerous than you could EVER be!" Sonic glared, as   
  
Robotnik handed Rouge a disk.  
  
"What is this?" she asked.  
  
"This is my grandfather's diary..." Robotnik said.  
  
Rouge took it and put it in the computer slot. Rouge read alloud.  
  
"'I don't quite know what happened or what went wrong. Was it a   
  
mistake to create the ultimate lifeform? I thought it would be   
  
something to benifit mankind, but then the military guards landed on   
  
the colony that day. They were sent to destroy the research project   
  
that I had been working on. My colleages at the reseach facility, my   
  
granddaughter Maria...I hope you are all safe. The colony was shut   
  
down, probably to keep the cannon from falling into the wrong hands.   
  
The ARK was shut down under the premesis that there had been an   
  
accident. I found Maria's name among those who had died when the ARK   
  
was shut down. She meant EVERYTHING to me, and I couldn't bear the   
  
thought that she died because of MY reseach! I lost EVERYTHING! I had   
  
nothing more to LIVE for! I went INSANE! All I could think about was   
  
to avenge her. Somehow. Someway. I got scared as I was no longer able   
  
to control my thoughts. All I could think about was that I wanted it   
  
all to end. Based on my orginal projections, I was able to complete my   
  
project, Shadow. I designed its mind to be perfect...pure...I will   
  
leave everything to him. If you wish, release and awaken it to the   
  
world, if you wish to fill the world with destruction...' Oh, so   
  
THAT'S why you released Shadow from the base!"  
  
"The core of the Eclipes Cannon is now highly reactive and   
  
explosive! This is due to the Chaos Emeralds overpowering it. If the   
  
colony collides with Earth, it will shatter into pieces like my   
  
grandfather predicted, that mad scientist!" Robotnik stated.  
  
"That should be YOU, right?" Amy asked with a tone of   
  
sacasticness.  
  
"We have to stop the space colony NOW!" Tails added.  
  
"The space colony may have shifted in space due to the   
  
overpowering of the Chaos Emeralds. We HAVE to stop the energy,"   
  
Robotnik said.  
  
"But...how?" Tails asked.  
  
"Hmmm..." Rouge said thoughtfully. "That's IT! There IS a way   
  
to stop the energy!"  
  
She turned to Knuckles. "We HAVE to use your emerald. You're the   
  
one that told me that the MASTER Emerald has the power to stop the   
  
CHAOS Emeralds!"  
  
Knux pulled out the Master Emerald, which had shrunk for   
  
travelling. "That's RIGHT! If I use this, I just might be able to stop   
  
the Chaos Emeralds!"  
  
Tails looked up on a map of the ARK. "The reaction of the Chaos   
  
Emeralds is moving towards the cannon's core! It may be too late!"  
  
Robotnik reviewed the map. "There still maybe some time left! IF   
  
we pull together, we might be able to get to the short cut that leads   
  
to the core!"  
  
Everyone gathered around to study the map carefully as Robotnik   
  
mapped out their route.  
  
"No worries, just leave it to me. I'm the world's FASTEST   
  
hedgehog!" Sonic grinned, giving the thumb's up.  
  
"Then let's get to work!" Robotnik said as the group broke up.  
  
Amy, Shalita, Manic, Sonia, Omochao and the rest of the chao   
  
stood on the sidelines.  
  
"Now what?" Amy asked, but Shalita had dissappeared. "Where'd   
  
Shalita go?"  
  
"Dunno, but she looked pretty disturbed," Manic said. "Best to   
  
leave her alone..."  
  
Chapter 39: "The Last Mission"  
  
Tails entered the area, and turnned on his communicator radio.  
  
"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! THE INTRUDER HAS BREACHED THE SYSTEM   
  
AREA! INITATE DEBUG PROGRAM!" the computer shouted.  
  
"Alright Tails!" Robotnik radioed in. "Now, destroy the security   
  
door leading to the cannon's core!"  
  
Tails ran down the pathway, shooting at military robots as he   
  
went. Things were starting to look ugly around here...  
  
"Okay Tails, there should be a security door somewhere in the   
  
room..." Robotnik said. "You need to destory it."  
  
"Okay, " tails said. He was low on bullets. he only had one shot   
  
of destorying the door and scramming before more robots showed up. He   
  
fired repeatedly at the door until it blew away.  
  
"I'm out!" Tails said, bolting for the exit.  
  
Robotnik ran through the doorway.  
  
"Alright! Now it's my turn!" he said, taking off down the hall to   
  
destory the guard bots.  
  
"Great, Eggman!" Tails raidoed in. "There should be a security   
  
door somewhere in this room!"  
  
Robotnik ran over and started firing at the door, having to turn   
  
around and destroy military bots as he went. Finally the door busted   
  
open. Time for the treasure hunters to do their part...  
  
Rouge ran into the room.  
  
"Rouge! There should be an emergency switch in the dome. Drain the   
  
liquid out of the core," Robotnik radioed to her.  
  
She looked around and saw a huge button encased inside a red   
  
shield. There's a switch somewhere to open it...  
  
She found the switch a minute later, and hit it, deactivating the   
  
shield.  
  
"Good job, Rouge! Hurry, throw the switch and drain the liquid!"   
  
Robotnik said.  
  
Rouge ran for the putton and pressed it, and the liquid started   
  
draining into the area...  
  
"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! ENERGY CORE SAFETY PROGRAM TERMINATED!   
  
SELF-REPAIR PROGRAM IN PROGRESS!" the computer rang out  
  
A few minutes later, Knuckles surfaced, wearing the air necklace   
  
he got back from Sonic.  
  
"Knuckles, can you hear me?" Robotnik radioed in. "The last   
  
security door should be in front of you. Find the switch that opens the   
  
door."  
  
Knux dived into the water and swam through the hallways, entering a   
  
room filled with lasers. He had to be careful not to get zapped.  
  
"Knuckles! I found the switch on radar! The security door switch   
  
is accessible from the waterway over there." Robotnik radioed.  
  
Knux swam into a hallway and into the next room, and found the   
  
button, hitting it.  
  
"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! PRIMARY SECURITY LOCK PROGRAMS   
  
TERMINATED! INITATE FINAL DEFENSE SYSTEMS!" the computer sang again.  
  
  
  
Sonic gripped the pole as he slid deep into the heart of the   
  
cannon's core.  
  
"Sonic, get past the enemies to get to the center of the core!   
  
You're our LAST chance! We're depending on you," Robotnik said.  
  
Sonic held the look of full deterimation in his eyes. He was   
  
gonna pull this mission off.  
  
As he ran, he spotted the center up ahead.   
  
"Sonic, you're coming closer to the center of the cannon. It's   
  
all up to you now!" Robotnik radioed.  
  
Chapter 40: "The Ultimate Battle"  
  
ARK: Abandoned Lab  
  
6:10 P.M.  
  
Colony Impact: 19 minutes, 50 seconds  
  
Amy walked down the hall, griping again.  
  
"OOOH! I hate it when they leave me behind!!!" she growled,   
  
walking past a doorway. She stopped and backed up, seeing a figure   
  
watching the Earth from his place by the window.  
  
"Look, it's Shadow!" she gasped, staring. She floded her arms,   
  
looking down. I've REALLY got to stop whining. Everyone's trying their   
  
best to help out, and so must I!"  
  
Amy ran into the room and to Shadow. "Shadow! We need you! Please   
  
help us!" she begged.  
  
Shadow stared out the window, without looking up. "It's all going   
  
accoring to plan. There's no reason for me to help them. Besides,   
  
there's no way to save anyone."  
  
"There HAS to be!" Amy said. "I know that people fight over the   
  
most trivial things. SOME people may be selfish, like the professor   
  
said. But they're basicly good. If they try their best and never give   
  
up on their wishes, they always have a reason to be happy! That's why   
  
you should help them out! Saving them is a GOOD thing! Shadow, I BEG   
  
you! Please do it for them! Give them a chance-"  
  
Suddenly, what Amy's words said to him brought back the memory of   
  
Maria.  
  
"Shadow...I beg of you..." Maria gasped, slumping over the console.   
  
"...please...do it for me..."  
  
"MARIA!" Shadow screamed.  
  
"-for all people who live on that planet...give them a chance to   
  
be happy! Let them live for their dreams...Shadow...I know you can do   
  
it...THAT"S the reason you were brought into this world...Sayranora...  
  
Shadow the Hedgehog..."  
  
"-now I remember it all. And I must keep that promise...that's   
  
what Maria wished for..." Shadow whispered.  
  
"Shadow?" Amy called.  
  
"I got to go now! I got to keep my promise to Maria, and you,"   
  
Shadow said, running off.  
  
As he ran down the halls, he heard sobbing, and stopped.   
  
Sadness...he walked to the room and saw Shalita laying on the floor,   
  
her head buried into her arms. Shadow slowly walked in, and knelt   
  
beside her.  
  
"Why do you cry?" he whispered.  
  
Shalita looked up and into Shadow's face. She stared a long time,   
  
sniffling. "Probably...the same reason you you are now..." she said   
  
softly.  
  
Shadow raised a hand to his cheek. Indeed, he too found a trail   
  
from a single tear he shed.  
  
"Shalita...I'm sorry I ever doubted you...I remembered why I was   
  
brought here. I'm going to save you. I'm going to help everyone on that   
  
planet below," he whispered, holding her up in her.  
  
"Shadow..." she whispered.  
  
He leaned forward into her ear and whispered ever so softly.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Shalita's eyes widen, looking into his own eyes, and couldn't   
  
back any longer. She kissed him. Deeply. And meant every ounce of   
  
energy she put into the kiss. Shadow helped Shalita to her feet.  
  
"Come on, Runt. We've a world to save!" he grinned.  
  
"Alright...Bad Boy!" she smiled.  
  
ARK: Center of Core  
  
6:14 P.M.  
  
Colony Impact: 15 minutes, 43 seconds  
  
Sonic and Knuckles ran for the center of the core and stopped   
  
short. It was like he was suddenly back on Angel Island.  
  
"What's that?!" Knuckles asked. "The core looks like the shrine   
  
to the Master Emerald!"  
  
"They probably designed the core like the shrine, to harness   
  
the power of the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic said.  
  
As Sonic and Knuckles ran for the center, Gerald's words   
  
continued to haunt the station.  
  
"All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me   
  
will feel my loss-!!!"  
  
Sonic looked up and saw energy sparking in the center.  
  
"Knuckles, here it comes!!!" Sonic yelped.  
  
"-and dispair!"  
  
Geralds voice echoed as the energy produced a creature of immense   
  
size. A LARGE biomechanical lizard. "All of you ungrateful humans will   
  
FEEL MY LOSS AND DISPAIR!!!!!"  
  
Knuckles and Sonic gasped, standing back.  
  
"Could this be the prototype of the ultimate lifeform that was   
  
suppose to be encapsulated?" Knuckles asked.  
  
A figure slowly walked up.  
  
"Leave this one to me," Shadow said, as Shalita ran up beside   
  
Sonic.  
  
"Shadow, what are you do?!" Sonic asked.  
  
"I'll take care of this, while you run and get the Chaos Emeralds!"   
  
Shadow called, facing off the lizard.  
  
The biolizard snapped at Shadow as he leapped back.  
  
"Go for his life-support system!!!" Omochao called from a side.  
  
"I'm on it," Shadow said. As Shadow ran circles around the beast,   
  
he saw where a pipe came from it's mouth and up to the support system.   
  
If he could grind up there...  
  
A direct hit! Shadow was able to take the lizard out with ease.  
  
A few more hits really got the beast mad, and it created energy   
  
eggs to shoot at Shadow. Shadow dodged every one of them and leaped up,   
  
nailing the support system. The biolizard collasped in defeat.  
  
"GET OUT you UGLY prototype!" Shadow hissed.  
  
"THAT'S MY SHADOW!!!" Shalita cheered, leaping into the air.   
  
Shadow whirled, smiling at the cheering Shalita with a twinkle in his   
  
eye.  
  
Chapter 41: "Remaining Hope"  
  
Sonic and Knuckles ran up the steps of the mock-up shrine and Knux   
  
set down the master emerald into the center of the core.  
  
"The servers are...the seven chaos..." Knuckles murmured,   
  
remembering an old incantation to activate the Master Emerald's power.   
  
This was only done once before a LONG time ago, and only Sonic remembers   
  
that time. "Chaos is power...power is enriched by the heart...the   
  
controller is the one that unifies the chaos...only you can do this!"   
  
Knux cried as the Master Emerald started to glow. "STOP THE CHAOS   
  
EMERALDS!!!"  
  
The emerald glew brightly and the Biolizard got up, roaring in   
  
pain. It suddenly dissappeared in a flash of light.  
  
"Is it gone?!" Knux asked the others.  
  
Shadow ran up to them. "Is that what...Chaos Control is??" he   
  
asked, never having witnessed it before.  
  
The rumbling throughout the station continued.  
  
"Since we've stopped the Chaos Emeralds, why is the space colony   
  
still on a crash course for Earth?!" Knux pointed out.  
  
Their answer came soon enough as Robotnik called on the radio.  
  
"The prototype is still alive! He is controlling the space colony   
  
as it is falling to Earth! He has become one with the space colony and   
  
is determined to keep it on its collision course!"  
  
Sonic and Knux looked at each other.  
  
"Sonic...!" Knux suddenly said, seeing the glint in the hedgehog's   
  
eye.  
  
Shalita tilted her head. What's Sonic up to?  
  
Sonic turned towards the Chaos Emeralds, and Shadow suddenly saw   
  
what he had in mind.  
  
"You don't suppose-?" he started.  
  
"I can...and I will.." Sonic said.  
  
Shalita gasped. "NO!!!! You CAN'T DO THAT! YOU KNOW WHAT WILL   
  
HAPPEN IF USE USE THE POWER FOR TOO LONG!!!!"  
  
Shadow ran to Shalita and hugged her. "It's okay, Shal, shhh.....  
  
I promise I'll come back!"  
  
Shalita looked at Shadow. "You...promise...?"  
  
"You know I'll ALWAYS live up to my promise," he winked, and   
  
kissed her forehead. "I'll be careful, I promise."  
  
"Come back to me safely, Bad Boy..." she whispered as Shadow   
  
walked up to the shrine with Sonic, his hand slipping from hers. He l  
  
ooked back. "I'll be looking for you, Runt..." he whispered, then   
  
joined Sonic at the shrine.  
  
The two concentrated as the Chaos Emeralds surrounded them. They   
  
could feel their power swelling within them.  
  
They opened their eyes as Sonic turned from a cobalt blue to a   
  
golden yellow. Shadow changed from pitch black to a white gold color.   
  
Super Sonic...and Super Shadow...  
  
Outside, Sonic and Shadow faced the bigger, uglier, giant brute.  
  
"Let's do this!" Sonic said.  
  
Robotnik's voice came over the comm.  
  
"Can you hear me, Sonic, Shadow? He's very weak without his   
  
life-support system. Aim for the red swelling areas. You're our LAST   
  
hope."  
  
Sonic zoomed forward heading for a blister on the lizard's big   
  
ugly hide, and punctured it.  
  
The biolizard howled in pain as Shadow called to Sonic.  
  
"Sonic! Leave it to me! I'll destroy him!" he annouced as he   
  
took his turn. He veered suddenly as a laser shot at him from the beast.  
  
"Where does it get all that power? Is it from the Chaos Emeralds?   
  
Shadow, are you okay?" Sonic pressed as Shadow struck a blister.  
  
"Now it's up to you, Sonic!" Shadow called.  
  
"Shadow, you need rest. Let me give it a try!" Sonic called as he   
  
zoomed forward, dodging a laser blast from the beast.  
  
"Sonic," Knuckles radioed in. "We're in danger. The colony will   
  
enter the atmosphere in about four minutes!"  
  
We need more time, Sonic thought as he struck a blister. This   
  
thing is stronger than they hoped!  
  
"Yeah! Take that, you creep!" Sonic laughed. He looked towards   
  
Shadow. Could he really take all this energy without burning himself   
  
out. "Shadow, are you okay??"  
  
"Here I come, you creep!" Shadow yelled, heading towards the   
  
beast. This time, the lizard shot two lasers at Shadow and he veered   
  
between them towards the blister.  
  
"Maria! Watch me as I forfill your wish!" he called, striking a   
  
blister.  
  
"Shadow! How's your energy?! remember to switch places with me   
  
if it gets too hairy!" Sonic called. "We almost got him! Now we-OOF!!!"  
  
Sonic was caught off guard by a stray laser. He floated, stunned.  
  
"SONIC!" Shadow cried, soaring over to Sonic. "You okay?"  
  
"Shadow...he's stronger than we realized. I may have to use...  
  
the Chaos Emerald...inside my body...to power me up stronger..." he said   
  
slowly, shaking his head clear.  
  
"Can you hear me?! Sonic, Shadow, everyone here is rooting for   
  
you! Good luck, and give him trouble!" Rouge raidoed in.  
  
"What do you MEAN, the chaos emerald in your body?! Sonic, were   
  
you born with a Chaos Emerald INSIDE you?!" Shadow gasped.  
  
Sonic nodded, his head finally cleared.  
  
"Sonic...I have one inside me too..." Shadow said. "What does   
  
this mean?!"  
  
"It means we both can live forever, and make sure that everyone   
  
can live their lives in peace. Now let's TAKE this thing down!"  
  
Sonic concentrated, and started to glow brighter, and his wings   
  
appeared. He was now Hyper Sonic. He opened his eyes and soared   
  
forward, like a lightning bolt against the skin of the beast. It   
  
roared in terrible pain.  
  
"Sonic....I think I know what the ultimate lifeform is..."   
  
Shadow said, watching him. "...it might be YOU!"  
  
Sonic looked at Shadow. "Are you sure...?"  
  
"I've never seen anything or anyone so determined and so pure   
  
in heart as you are. You are powerful in spirit and together, we can   
  
WIN!"  
  
"Shadow, your power's getting weaker! Hey are you okay??" Sonic   
  
called.  
  
"I'll be fine. Why, what's wrong, Sonic?!"  
  
"Shadow, at this rate, if you use your power too long, you'll   
  
dissappear! Get back to the colony!" Sonic pleaded.  
  
"No way, Sonic! I can do this!" Shadow said.  
  
Tails radioed in. "You two are out of time! GET OUTTA THERE!!!"  
  
"I can DO THIS!!!" Shadow yelled, soaring straight at the   
  
lizard.  
  
"SHADOW, NO!!!!!" Shalita screamed over the radio.  
  
The lizard limped, lifeless as Shadow soared back to Sonic,   
  
panting.  
  
"I shall undo all of Professor Gerald's work..." he panted.  
  
"Did you really think you had a chance?!" Sonic added, grinning.  
  
Now to stop the ARK.  
  
They looked up as the ARK started to enter the atmosphere.  
  
"No way THAT'S getting through!" Sonic yelled as he and a tired   
  
Shadow soared up towards it.  
  
As they went up, Shaodw could almost hear Maria's voice.  
  
"Shadow, I beg of you-!"  
  
"Maria?" he whispered. So close to heaven. He knew he was weak   
  
and that both of them would use a great amount of energy to pull this off.  
  
"-give them a chance...to be happy!"  
  
"Shalita-" Shadow called over the radio. "I'm so sorry-"  
  
"Shadow-?! Wha-no! NO! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" she cried, running to the   
  
window. It took everyone else to hold her back. "DON'T DO IT, SHADOW!   
  
WE NEED YOU!!! I NEED YOU! NOOOO!!!!" Shalita cried, bursting into tears.  
  
"-look in the drawer in the desk in the lab...Shalita...I know   
  
why you cry now...I love you too..."  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Outside, Sonic gave the word. "NOW SHADOW!"  
  
The two concentrated and released the energy.  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL!!!" the both yelled, and the colony dissappeared   
  
in a flash of light.  
  
Between the time they had between then and when the ARK would   
  
show up again, Sonic sighed, then looked at Shadow and gasped.  
  
He was hardly moving, as he was burnt out. "Shadow...no..."  
  
"Did we do it...?" he whispered. "Did we save Earth?"  
  
Sonic took his hand and held it, tears in his own eyes. "Yeah....  
  
yeah we did it, Shadow..."  
  
"Sonic...why do you cry...? Before, you hated me..."  
  
"Something Shalita said. I...I don't know what it is...Shadow....  
  
its as if you were my brother..."  
  
Shadow smiled, weakly. "A brother...I never had a family..all I   
  
had....was a sister...a sister named Maria..."  
  
Sonic patted him. "I know. Come on...I can help you. Let's me   
  
take you back to the ARK and you can get better again...!"  
  
"Sonic, we both know you only have enough energy to get yourself   
  
back. I don't want you to die with me.."  
  
"But...we can't die....Shadow..." Sonic said, starting to sob.   
  
"We're-"  
  
"-ageless...and immortal....through natural living. I know that   
  
we could still die, but we can never go to that special place that others   
  
can. I don't want you to be trapped in a body full of pain. I won't hurt   
  
anyone else anymore...Sonic...take care of Shalita for me..."  
  
"-Shadow..." Sonic whispered, but Shadow pushed him away, leaving   
  
Sonic only his braclet which slipped off. Shadow started to fall   
  
towards the Earth.  
  
"SHADOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sonic cried.  
  
Shadow closed his eyes. "Maria...this is what you wanted, right?   
  
This is my promise to you..."  
  
His mind drifted, as he will forever dream of that place where   
  
Shalita will be, and he started to cry, as he will never see her there...  
  
The ARK finally reappeared, showing in a stable orbit around the   
  
Earth. This was shown on TV all over the world, as everyone started to   
  
cheer.  
  
Religious people prayed to their gods for thanks.  
  
Back in San Fransisco, that man named Charlie hugged his fiance,   
  
as they could now get married.  
  
The little girl put her hands together for the heroes that saved   
  
her home, as her parents hugged her.  
  
  
  
Everyone turned to face the door as it opened, and Sonic slowly   
  
walked in.  
  
"Where is Shadow?" Rouge asked.  
  
Sonic didn't say a word, shook his head, and handed Rouge the   
  
bracelet he got.  
  
"Do you really think that the processor created him...Shadow...to   
  
carry out the revenge on all those who live on Earth...?" Rouge asked.  
  
"He was what he was...a brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his   
  
life to save this planet..." Sonic whispered, bowing his head. "Shadow   
  
the Hedgehog."  
  
"I guess you're right..." Rouge finally said.  
  
Meanwhile, Robotnik and Tails were standing near each other, as   
  
Robotnik mentioned.  
  
"As a child, I looked up to my grandfather for all the great   
  
things he accomplished in his life. He was my hero, and I wanted to be   
  
a great scientist like him...but...did he really mean to destroy us?"  
  
"I don't know," Tails said. "But what I DO know is...we all did   
  
it...TOGETHER!"  
  
"You're right..." Robotnik said.  
  
Knuckles wandered up to Rouge. They have yet to finish some   
  
things off.  
  
"So what's next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels   
  
you love so much?"  
  
"Nah, I think I'm gonna give up this line of work. Too much   
  
work for too little pay!"  
  
She slowly added, not daring to look at the echidna right now.   
  
"Anyway, I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about   
  
right now..."  
  
Knuckles looked up to Rouge. Rouge smiled softly. "It'll all   
  
work out...you'll see..."  
  
Knux smiled softly himself. "If you say so..."  
  
Sonic walked off to an area by himself to think things over.  
  
"Created...the ultimate lifeform..." he murmured.  
  
Amy walked over his way.  
  
"What's the matter, Sonic?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing...come on! Let's go home to the   
  
planet as cool and blue as me!" he grinned.  
  
As they left the room, Sonic turned to look at the Earth one   
  
last time. "Sayranora...Shadow the Hedgehog..." he whispered, tears   
  
in his eyes.  
  
Epilouge  
  
Shalita shifted hearltlessly through the desk, tossing stuff   
  
everywhere. Manic and the others tried to calm her down, but she screamed   
  
for them to stay back.  
  
Finally, she found what she was looking for. A small box marked   
  
"To Shalita".  
  
Shalita opened the box with her trembling hands and stopped,   
  
picking up a note. It simply said, "To remember me by too..."  
  
And in the box was a small handmade doll, a splitting image of   
  
Shadow himself. She picked it up, and held it to that area in her chest   
  
where it hurt the most.  
  
Sonic and the others stood at the teliporter, ready for it to   
  
take them home. Charika said she had to go home to Princess Kymira,   
  
who was probably waiting for her. Rouge wanted to come stay with   
  
Knuckles on the Floating Island, and he readily agreed.  
  
Many, MANY questions awaited them when they finally came home   
  
to Robotropolis. Sonic could only put a hand up and say. "It was the   
  
greatest Adventure of all time...and I think only a song can put   
  
together the feeling of it all..."  
  
Sonic, Sonic and Manic, touched their medallions, and for the   
  
first time in the longest, were able to preform a song, that went   
  
something like this...  
  
"Can you feel life, movin' through your mind?  
  
Ooooah looks like he came back for more!   
  
Yeaaah!  
  
Can you feel time, slippin' down your spine?  
  
Ooooah You're tryin' tryin' to ignore!  
  
Yeaaah!   
  
Oh, but you can hardly swallow, your fears and pain!  
  
When you can't help but follow, it puts you right back where   
  
you came!  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
Hanging on the edge of Tomorrow,   
  
Live and Learn!  
  
On the words of Yesterday,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
If you beg, or if you borrow,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
You may never find your way.  
  
Can you feel your life, tangle you up inside?  
  
Yeeaaaaah? Now you're face down on the floor!  
  
Oooooaaooh!  
  
But you can save your sorrow!  
  
You've been betrayed.  
  
When you can't help but follow, it puts you right back where   
  
you came!   
  
Live and Learn!  
  
Hanging on the Edge of Tomorrow,   
  
Live and Learn!  
  
On the words of Yesterday,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
If you beg, or if you borrow,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
You may never find your way.  
  
Hey, Whoa Whoa, Oh yeah!  
  
(Guitar Solo)  
  
There's a face, searching far, so far and wide  
  
There's a place, where you dream you'd never find  
  
Hold on to 'What if?'  
  
Hold on to 'What if?'!!  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,   
  
Live and Learn!  
  
On the words of Yesterday,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
If you beg, or if you borrow,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
You may never find your way.  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
Hanging on the edge of Tomorrow,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
On the words of Yesterday,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
If you beg, or if you borrow,  
  
Live and Learn!  
  
You may never find your way!"  
  
THE END...for now. 


End file.
